That is untrue. The only time that such a prohibition would apply would be during prayer, for those tribes camped to the north, south and east of the Tabernacle, since during prayer they all faced the Tabernacle.
The Children of Israel were not emotionally ready for the difficulties required to be free men in charge of their own destiny and forging through an unknown wilderness.
Wilderness, not desert. They received the Torah from God, built the Mishkan (tabernacle), appointed judges. A foreigner named Bil'am (Balaam) tried to curse them but was frustrated by God in his plans.
It was the Arc Of The covenant.
Amalek (Exodus 17)
A matter of months, at most.
Deuteronomy (chapter 1). It speaks of a particular distance, not the entire time they were in the wilderness (which was forty years).
The children of Israel, consisting of 600,000 footmen, plus women and children and old men were sustained in the wilderness for 40 years on manna and water from the rock, and living in tents and their shoes and clothes did not wear out.
According to the Bible, the Children of Israel eat Manna, a substance provided to them from heaven on a daily basis.
When they were encamped, the Tabernacle was in the middle. When they were journeying, it was folded down and carried.
God allowed Solomon to build the temple as a sign of His approval and favor towards Solomon. Solomon was chosen by God to carry out this important task due to his wisdom and devotion to the Lord. The temple symbolized a place for God to dwell among His people and for Israel to worship Him in a central location.
The Jews are also known as the sons of Israel (בני ישראל, B'nei Yisrael in Hebrew). The tribe of Levi was responsible for the Tabernacle (Numbers ch.3 and ch.8).
The countryside of Israel.