Bedouin crafts at our Dahab Community Market

Its been a while since i have updated this blog! What a year 2011 was, it certainly was a year of learning for me and for appreciation of the small things in life.  I think many people in Egypt experienced this last year. I was happy to welcome in 2012, as for me it felt like it must be a better year for the people of Egypt and the people of Dahab.

The end of the year gives you a chance to reflect on the last 12 months and to decide what is important in life for the coming year.  My work with the Bedouin at Sheikh Salem House was badly hindered by the revolution. Things became very difficult as numbers of visitors to Egypt dwindled and many businesses struggled to survive. I managed by borrowing and selling things to keep paying the staff.  By the end of 2011, a big change happened which will benefit all involved at Sheikh Salem House. The family of Sheikh Salem are now actively involved in the management and are now my partners for ensuring the business moves forward and becomes bigger, better and stronger in 2012.

So with a positive change in place for the New Year, we can now focus on the politics!

The revolution in Egypt, which has been ongoing now for almost a year only impacted on Dahab in a couple of ways. The primary thing was the drop in visitor numbers that effected the incomes of many many families across Egypt. With this loss of income, a few people resorted to theft instead. There seems to be a small increase in house robberies, mobile phone thefts, petty theft’s. But considering the country has been without an elected president for almost one year, the people of Egypt should be proud. The country has remained stable and safe for tourists and at the end of 2011 we were almost full again and Dahab was full of live once more. Resorting our faith for 2012.

There were some shocking demonstrations in and around Tahrir Square in 2011. We hope that this is over with as Egypt continues to vote for the new government and for deciding the new president. The people of Egypt have endured much over the last 25 years, most are happy that Mubarak has gone. But all want to see a return to a stable government and a return to normalcy across the country.

There has been much speculation about the effect on tourism of an Islamic led government. That bikini’s will be banned and that tourism will changed. Despite these concerns the newly elected parties have done much to quell the concerns for the business owners and regular visitors to Egypt. They are assuring that they have no plans to change the current tourism of Egypt and they are doing all they can at the moment to encourage tourists back.

Back to the sleepy town of Dahab, where the victims of the revolution here have been the small businesses. The town is planning its 2nd Dahab International Festival on the 14th – 20th April 2012. Many people are trying hard to make this festival happen, but with little funding it will be a struggle. We hope for a major sponsor so that we can organise something bigger and better than last years festival.

One of the main achievements of Sheikh Salem House in Dahab during the revolution has been the creation of the Dahab Community Market. Which is held every Friday afternoon at the Guest House, either on the beach or in the court yard area. The market brings together sellers from around Dahab of many nationalities. Did you expect to find fresh sushi, alongside organic goats cheese, freshly baked breads, delicious cakes and chocolate brownies in Dahab? Yes you can find  many unusual things at the Dahab Community Market.

The sellers also include Radiant Rainbows Crystal Hand Made Jewelry, Sheikh Salem House’s Bedouin Handicrafts made by Bedouin Women in Dahab.  Many new and traditional bedouin craft items for sale at the market alongside beautiful works from Cairo and other parts of Egypt.  There is also usually New and 2nd Hand clothes, toys, house items and other items for sale every week. The market even attracts sellers from Sharm El Sheikh and Nuweiba including produce from a new Organic Farm at Habiba Village. The market is now becoming a regular tourist attraction and part of the life of many people living in Dahab. It starts from 2 – 6pm, and it is right at the northern end of the beach footpath, just a minutes walk from the Eel Garden Dive site.

Another popular project that started during the revolution in Dahab was the creation of a community library, which has now had 100′s of books donated and opened in November 2011.

So although 2011, the revolution and the impact of it brought some problems to Dahab, at the end of it many positive things happened. This bought the community together, increased the spirit of co-operation and helped us all to appreciate the small things in life. We continue to look ahead to what 2012 will have in store, and one thing is for sure….there will be more turning bedouin in 2012, than there was in 2011!

Made in Dahab by Bedouin Women

For more information about The Dahab Community Market, or our handmade Bedouin Crafts please email: info@sheikhsalemhouse.com or visit our facebook group for The Dahab Community Market https://www.facebook.com/groups/202972743067127/

I have decided to share some of my experiences, thoughts and feelings during the 2011 Egypt revolution and it will continue in episodes as and when i can get them down.

I will start from the few days prior to the first day of protest. Dahab was exceptionally quiet this January. Usually the town is fairly busy until the middle of January and it gets a bit quieter but by the 22nd this year it was very quiet. There was a strange feeling in the air over of the 22nd Jan – 26th Jan.

It started as a strange calm, it was almost deadly quiet. This is unusual and i felt this might have been due to the shark problems in Sharm El Sheikh in December 2010. Many people had cancelled their holidays even though there had been no shark sightings in Dahab. We had Dolphins in Dahab during Christmas period, swimming around the Lighthouse, Eel Garden and Canyon area. definitely not a problem here but anything to do with Sharm El Sheikh always seems to effect Dahab.

So there was a feeling in the air, it was calm but tinged with unsettled energy. None of us could put our fingers on it. One friend started talking about the corruption and the extortionate prices in the local supermarkets. It went onto a deep conversation that ended up involving some 15 people, some local Egyptians, Bedouins and Expats. The conversation never progressed to police or other corruption. Maybe because too many if us had been too scared to talk politics too much in front of people we don’t know very well. Such is the life of an expat in Egypt, also living in the same box as the locals but not to such extremes.

The night of the 24th most people in Dahab knew there would be a demonstration of some kind. The 25th January is a national holiday for the police and civil servants. No one expected the demonstration to come to much, why should they have. The last demonstrations had been ended by force. No one felt they could safely protest, most people expected it to be a small thing without much of an impact.

On the 25th January 2011 most people in Dahab carried on as normal. Not thinking much about what might be going on elsewhere in Egypt. There was no protesting going on here, everything was calm and peaceful as usual.

By the early evening a few of my friends in Cairo were starting to post images on Facebook of the demonstrations. By 8pm Tahrir Square was full of people, difficult to know how many people were there but it was a lot. It was when i saw these pictures i knew this was not just a little demonstration that was going to be all forgotten about tomorrow. I knew this was going to carry on, the people were on a mission to make things change in Egypt and i was in support of them. I had seen the suffering on the streets of Cairo, i had seen the pain of a mother whose son had been wrongfully arrested, i had seen the pain of the wife whose husband never made it back home. I know a lot of people who have experienced the bad side of the government. Too many people, too much injustice.

Jan 26th 2011

This was Wednesday and i was due to do my DJ show on our local internet radio for South Sinai on www.radiosinailive.com We always used Facebook as a means to communicate our shows to our friends in Europe and Abroad. The radio has listeners from all over the world. Usually my show is jovial and upbeat and i play uplifting tunes. But this show i felt something was badly wrong i didn’t feel my usual self.

When i arrived in the studio i heard that Facebook had been blocked in Egypt as well as twitter. I was shocked but not surprised. We had heard this was coming. So people started sharing work around methods for people to still use Facebook. I did my show but i felt wrong, i wanted to speak in support of the people but part of me was afraid to say it. Worried we were being listened to by some high security or something. I kept it down, but played some songs that i hoped would prove i supported the cause of my friends in Cairo and around all of Egypt.

I said to a friend that the internet would probably be pulled off line completely soon. I hoped no, but i thought to myself it they can stop people using Facebook and Twitter then for sure they will try to stop all internet communications. I had hoped i would be wrong about that.

By 27th Jan our work around methods for Facebook were being stopped as well. I sensed the worst was yet to come. People were starting to talk about leaving Dahab! But still nothing at all had happened here so i wondered why they were being so worried. Everything was happening over 400 kilometres away. There seemed to be nothing to worry about as far as i was concerned.

At the end of the 27th Jan everyone was talking about a big demonstration in Cairo on Friday. Everyone was saying it was going to be the biggest yet. Some people were really looking concerned.

I spoke to many of our local Bedouins to see what they thought about what was going on. The majority seemed happy and wished they were there in Cairo. A few of them did go to various places outside of Sinai to join in the protests. One of them said they liked Mubarak, he had bought more tourism income to their family (most of them are safari guides and drivers) so they were happy with him, although he did agree he had been unfair to many of his tribe.

The morning of the 28th January my fear from the days before returned. We found the internet across the whole country has been cut.

To be continued soon ……..

But above all after all this time, two things stand true to when i first arrived here:
1) My commitment to the local Bedouin community here – i am not saying they are all in need of help, but they definately deserve our support. Many of the people here did not have electricity 15 years ago.

They did not settle in one place and they moved according to food sources and climate. Settling is not in their nature, they dont like saying still for too long! Maybe a few days, then they like to disappear into the desert for a week!

With this in mind, it is difficult for a Bedouin men to hold down a routine job. Its not that they dont want to work, it is that it doesnt take long for them to get ”itchy feet” and they need to travel off somewhere. Often they dont say goodbye when they go, or when they are coming back! But this should not be seen as rude (i thought it was when i first moved here). The fact is they dont like to keep saying goodbye to people that they see often, saying goodbye is not in their nature. They prefer to warmly welcome people and not say goodbye.

I have learnt lots about the Bedouin comimunity in Dahab and South Sinai and the more i learn the more i understand the challenges they are facing at the moment. Including the fact that most of the young men living here have never been nomadic at all (unlike their fathers and grandfathers).

2) My love for Dahab – i still love this little town, even though it is not perfect, some things are not so good but many of us are working on them. I still feel at home here and i have been truly welcomed as one of the community. Looking over to Saudi Arabia from here is sometimes like looking into a mirror. The reflection of the land over the water that looks similar to South Sinai. This makes some people who visit really look inside themselves also, the reflection on their own live’s and how they can do better in the future.

Many visitors to Dahab get the bug and become either short term residents or choose Dahab as their holiday home town. Some stay the long term, i have many expats friends who have been here longer than me. I am still a newbie probably in some of their eyes.

Dahab is beautiful with some amazing reefs just metres away from the beach, rugged mountains, hidden oases and winding wadi’s (a wadi is a valley). Landscapes meet the sea in dramatic natural style. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder if they can see it. Many guests dont have the time to stop and appreciate it all. Those that do usually come back!

So five years on Dahab has bought to me huge challenges in my way of life and in the way i work. I have become much less materialistic, much stronger in spirit and mind. Above all i have become more understanding of the muslim faith, which i admit when i lived in the UK i was fairly ignorant. Althought i had muslim friends i didnt really understand the true essence of the religion.

I feel safer in Dahab than i ever did in London and i feel that deep down inside this town has become home. 5 years on, i embrace the challenges still with a smile.

With the holy month of Ramadan approaching fast, along with the date season this year in South Sinai we are all looking forward to quiet sleepy days and lively nights. The clocks here will go back one hour in just one weeks time and we sill start to feel the nights drawing in again over Egypt.

Ramadan is one of the nicest times to visit Dahab, it is quieter and more peaceful this time of year than any other time. Perfect for those who need a really chilled out escape.

Will i stay another 5 years? Who know’s…….but i will do my best to continue the work i have begun with my Bedouin friends in supporting and promoting the region and their culture and preserving the tradditions which are now become rarer and rarer as most of them settle in towns and villages.

If you would like more information on Bedouin culture in South Sinai visit http://www.sheikhsalemhouse.com or contact us.

We have been lucky enough to have Hisham Abu Mateq, from Jordan perform some fantastic bedouin music in a lovely desert valley close to Dahab. Soon i will attach a preview for you to listen to of his amazing sound, he makes the ode sing then makes the crowd move with his own voice and rhythmic playing.

The Ode is a 12 stringed arabian instrutment, similar in construction to a guitar but with more of an onion shaped body and slightly longer neck. It is a wonderful sounding instrument and suits the desert surroundings which bring extra acoustics to the vibe.

Accompanying Hisham is usually Sheikh Rubia Hamdan of the Dahab Mozina Tribe on tabla and if we are lucky we have Hussain on Simsimia (an Arabian style small harp).

Along with the music a Bedouin feast is served under the moonlight. Bedouin tea is made on the fire from loose tea mixed with habbuck (a local herb similar to sage) and sugar. Combined and heated slowly this tea has a unqiue taste.

Following the tea would be a bedouin feast of either lamb  or goat roasted in a specially made sand oven, and vegetables cooked slowly on the fire. Bedouin bread also cooked in the sand (Leba) and (Farashe) cooked on a metal plate. All are expertly prepared by Juma, one of the best bedouin chefs in Dahab, in his valley area in Wadi Bidar just behind Dahab.

The combination of the food, the music, the location, along with Bedouin dancing, the camp fire and the moonlight brings about an unforgetable cultural experience, similar to that experienced at Bedouin weddings.

Living with the Mozina tribe in South Sinai, has bought about great inspiration for cultural gatherings and events. Cultural exchanges take place everyday in South Sinai as people from all over the world come and visit, but very few experience something as amazing as the sound of local music in the desert, played by the people who have lived in the region for hundreds of years.

Bedouin Fusion events usually takes place every four weeks, roughly on full moon night, close to or around Dahab and are organised by the team at Sheikh Salem House. The Bedouin Guest House in Dahab.

For more information contact: info@sheikhsalemhouse.com

Bedouin Fusion has a facebook group

I went through a dramatic period in my life from early February until end of July, i thought all was lost and all my work finished with the Bedouin community here in Dahab. But i never gave up (even when i was on my last legs, i was given signs to keep me going), maybe i will go into this in more detail another time. But thankfully it seems all is almost as it was in January.

Some things have changed, lessons learned, new experiences gained. But through it all i am back on the camel trail with the Mozina Tribe in Dahab. Sheikh Salem House is open and we have now an excellent team of staff. Ok not all the time but nobody’s perfect, we are growing and learning everyday.  We are an unusual place to stay, really the house of the Sheikh Salem again! We have several staff called Salem and even more staff called Gomer at the moment there is 5 (or Juma, Goma or there are many more spellings!). Gomer is Friday in Arabic and is the name usually given to boys born on a Friday  - which is the holy day in Islam.

Shortly after we re opened we were greated by a lazy camel on the beach on several mornings. It turned out he was taken to eating the roof of our cafe arisha (arisha means outdoor seating area, usually covered with the leaves from the palm tree) and he would then laze on the beach until midday.

A few mornings after our last sighting we found he had bought a friend along! They made quite a nice job of trimming one and half sides, they still have a bit to go. But they havent been around so much recently, maybe there owners have better control of them now or more food for them.  But the funny thing is our cafe is called the Lazy Camel and sure enough there he was for several days after we re opened!

So we are all back on the camel trail, doing what we all love best. Helping people to get the most out of their visits to South Sinai, providing incomes for our local families and bringing about positives vibes to our little town of Dahab.

We still have a long way to go and we still have to face adversity and criticism, but at least the spirit of Sheikh Salem is alive again in his house.  He was a strong Sheikh who wanted the best for his tribes people. He was keen for their growth and development and above all their service in the local tourism industry. His wish is fulfilled at Sheikh Salem House, the house he built for his family.

Our work involves women as well as men, we have started projects to develop handicrafts and have a fair trade bedouin craft shop in our guest house. Our work currently provides income to many women in Dahab. We provide cultural information and useful local information so if in Dahab come and do what the local bedouins do….come and have a bedouin tea and chat.

http://www.sheikhsalemhouse.com

As recommended by local camels ; )

Of course i talk abut what is going on to the North of us as i write, people here are shocked that these problems still continue after 41 years. It makes us feel like we are not in 2009, everytime i turn on the tv i think i am back in the 1970′s seeing tanks and soldiers in gaza (just as i did when i was a little girl).

Time should make us learn our lessons from our past, but it seems time does not heal, or do us any favours.

Anyway apart from the crisis in Gaza, i havent had much time to turn bedouin of late. The Bedouin here in Dahab in turn havent had much time to escape, it seems they and us are all in a state of crisis in one way or another.

Some people here are feeling the credit crunch, whilst others have seen friends or family injured in car accidents, others are working hard and have no time for themselves. We are all in the same boat, no time.

The changes to everyones lives last year pushed up prices of basic food items and costs of living but who has been lucky enough to earn more? Very few! So this time of year we all want to turn bedouin (even our Dahab Bedouin would love to escape to the mountains for a few days), but we all have no time.

But this year i am starting the new year with an inspired stance (despite the problems around), i have meet a few people this last week who have read this blog and have done something positive for Bedouin communities in Sinai as a result of it. This makes me smile and gives me the determination to carry on blogging.

I love the Bedouin people in Dahab, they smile and are cheery despite the fact that they all have their own problems. ( Just as i have just been writing this) i have had a local lady bring me some of the new bags and cushion covers she has made. Her inspiration comes from pictorical ideas which she turns into an abstract pattern.

Oma Swerwy has just delivered a cushion cover with goat skin applique. I will post a pic on my next time blogging. Its amazing, she has so much design talent she puts some people to shame. But each piece also takes her much time to make, for which she wishes also she has more time to make more so that she can more and in return make more income for her family.

Two minutes after her son Gomar comes to find the guests that have booked a Bedouin desert dinner with him. He also suffers from mafesh wogit! He wants to start making 5 day camel safaris, but he has not time to focus on his main business let alone start any of the new ideas he has.

So we all carry on together, taking each day as it comes. Seeing what challenges life will throw at us this year. One thing that keeps us all smiling is the fact that as years go, can any be worse than 2008 was? We dont think so, so this time and this year we can wallah hagga, let anything happen. We might not have time but we have courage and power and perserve for another year : )

When a Bedouin greets a fellow Bedouin who is from ‘outside’ of their own local area  or family they are supposed to announce their name followed by the names of their father, their fathers father, fathers fathers father and so on up to 10 generations. So we are talking about each Bedouin knowing his family history up to 10 generations ago so about 400 years of family history.

The reason it is customary to announce this information is so that it can be gauged how this person might be related to the next person. This also then serves the host in understanding how important the guest is and the level of hospitality suitable for the guest.

Today we are lucky enough to have a wealth of information at our disposal to help us in tracing our family trees. However the Muziena Bedouin do tend t know at least 8 generations back. Although this is not so true for the younger generation those aged less than 30 years who seem to only know as far back as their grandfathers or maybe great grandfathers. So it seems this tradition of knowing your family history is becoming less common in South Sinai. It is not needed as much aqs it would have been 50 years ago. When the South Sinai Bedouin were nomadic they would rely more on the hospitality of others as they travelled, these days the car and toyota have replaced the camel and journeys last hours instead of days.

The tradition was on arrival to a new place the ‘head of the family’ would visit the ‘head’ of the hosts family and would say for example ‘ I am Mohamed, Abu Ahmed, Abu Salem, Abu Walid, Abu Musa, Abu Mohamed, Abu …….’ until 10 generations of fathers names were given and the location from which the family generally derived.

Upon hearing this the host would welcome the people to take the tradition of hospitalilty food and lodging for up to three days. All Bedouin tribes would offer this to passing guests and their families.

So i decided to see if i could find 10 generations of ancestors myself using my PC and the access of websites like roots web and genealogy forums.

I found there was not much in the way of free information on the web so i signed up to a paid subscription to see how far back i could go. I was fasinated and excited about tracing back my faimly history.

I knew as far back as my great grandfather born in 1874 so i had a fair starting point. But i didnt get very far! I have now as far back as 5 generations up to 1800, but i havent got any further. Im stuck, i cant get into the 1700′s as the records kept then were not good, census and birth records were not regularly kept. So i have found that my great great great great grandfather was a farmer from Cambridgshire (this was unexpected, i always thought my fathers faimly came from Norfolk and Wiltshire).

So it is very difficult for someone to know 10 generations back, unless their faimly has kept their own records which have been passed from generation to generation. I am impressed that so many Bedouin people do have this information and many in South Sinai can trace back their ancestors to Saudi Arabia pre 1600! Phew….we are talking a lot of family history, kept because they understood the importance of such knowledge in helping them with their travelling life styles.

Fortunately we dont need this level of information in todays travelling age. But i am dissapointed that i cant trace back my family history further at the moment. I have surname which is often mispelt so this might not help and also the spellling has changed over the last 200 years. But the investigation has been interesting, in know understand why i love the natural life style, why i am passionate about being green and eco friendly, why i like to grow plants and flowers at least.

As for our Bedouin tribes, they still hold on firmly to the importance of tribes and families, much more than us westerners. They protect their faimlies with vigor and will in some cases go to extremes to protect their tribe and their family honour. One thing i realise is that this is not a bad thing (as long as it does not involve violence). It is nice that family is important and that even distant relations are close to each other.

Keep it in the family is a saying that definately rings true for the Bedouin community here, the strength and support that close family ties bring to each individual in the family group is a good thing. So i will not give up on my faimly tree quest just yet.

I am also encouraging the younger Bedouin people not to lose their family history, in learning about your past you can sometimes understand why you do what you do, who you are and what you can do to help others. Its a fasinating story for your children to listen to and with any luck you find family that you never even knew you had : )

Dahab Dates

Dahab dates is not going to be a story about dating! Its about the dates from the date palm tree of which there are a few hundred in Dahab. According to Bedouin law each palm tree is owned by the person who orginally planted the tree or the tree belongs to the orginal owner of the land on which the palm tree is situated. So if a land that has palm trees is sold the palm trees themselves are not included in the sale and will always belong to the orginal owner.

So when the date palm produces dates, the fruits belong to the ‘ bedouin owner’ of the palm tree. In August the date palms in Dahab bear there very tasty dates. This summer was exceptional, the dates were lovely.

But for all the people with date palms in their gardens they had to allow the ‘owners’ to come and pick them off the trees. Some were lucky to get a few of the dates, whilst others didnt!

The Date Palm Trees in Dahab also have another interesting story behind them. Dahab is the only town in Sinai to have two different types of Date Palm Trees. We have the standard date palm which bears deep purple coloured dates, but also there is the gold date palm tree. The gold date palm produces extra sweet golden coloured dates. The only other place in the world that has these dates is in Saudi Arabia. So maybe we have discovered the real reason why Dahab was called Dahab! (Gold is Dahab in Arabic!).

With Ramadan coming early this year the dates were all gone by mid September. During Ramadan a lovely date drink is prepared to mark the breakfast and is drunk before the the breakfast meal is eaten in the evening. (The drinking of the date drink is after sunset and then the main breakfast meal is eaten).  Next year the date season will fall during Ramadan, which will start in August when the heat is at its highest.

Dahab dates are delicious, eating 10 is the equivilent of eating a good meal and they are very good for the body. They are a staple part of the diets in Egypt.

Date Palms in Dahab

Ramadan in Dahab this year was exceptionally quiet, most of the people preffered to sleep during the day than work, which made things difficult for those trying to run businesses (including me!). It was a good job Dahab didnt have too many guests during this time! But to be honest coming to Dahab during Ramadan is one of the nicest times to come, its quiet and peaceful and very relaxing.

Next year the date season and Ramadan will be at the same time, it will be very hot in the day so everyone will try and sleep in the daytime for sure. So if you want to come to our sleepy town, come next August if you need to relax but dont come if you actually want to do anything! Dont plan to go on desert safaris, dont plan to do anything next August in Dahab other than sleep, swim (to cool off) or snorkel to see the fish who wont be asleep in the daytime!

Visit our website for more information about Bedouin culture and holidays in Dahab, Sinai

In Spring they would be up in the high mountains to catch the benefit of the seasonal rains, in Summer they would head to the red sea coasts to benefit from the cooling effect of life by the sea and catching fresh fish. In late summer they would move towards the Oases where the date palms would be ready with fresh dates. In winter they would stay in valleys close to the coast where they would be protected from the chilly winter winds, or close to the high mountains (Mount Sinai area) to again benefit from the water this time being delivered by the melting snow from South Sinai.

Hence the nomads life dictated by the seasons and the naturally avalible resources. Therefore Bedouins would eat from fresh food as much as possible, benefiting from seasonal fruits and vegetables which they could grow in the mountain areas in winter and spring, or from those that can grow in the harsher summer climates (like the dates). They would put what they could into storage for later – dates keep extremely well, fish would be dried and preserved in salt.

They would keep for emergencies some supplies and trade the rest with other tribes for other items they need. This is why they lived in tents, easy to move from place to place.

Not only would they eat natural food but they would use natural remedies for curing illness. Bedouin herbal medicine is highly advanced and there are cures for most ailments. Currently several projects to research Bedouin Medicine are taking place to study this. I myself have benefitted from Bedouin herbs for a number of health problems.

We find oursleves in 2008 looking backwards at the way things were and looking forward to how we can simplify our lives and live more naturally again. This is the best way forward for us in this world where we are now threatend by climate change, by increasing costs for energy and fuel and all our other pressures in life.

Returning to a simple natural life is not a bad thing at all. Come and visit our Bedouin communities in Sinai and see who is happier the Bedouin living in a desert valley or the people living in towns aqnd cities. Also come and see why their is always a sparkle in their eyes, for their knowledge holds the key to many things which have gone wrong in our lives. From there the shift back to nature can begin in a new way that brings together all the knoweldge of our grand fathers with our new knowledge based on the experiences we face in the world today.

So before eating your meal, think about the food on your plate and where it has come from. Think about how it has been made and the distances it has travelled to get there and finally eat it slowly savouring the flavours for full appreciation of the naturally good things in life. Then you can start your return back to what is naturally good.

Food for thought i hope!

She is one of the new generation of Bedouin women who has been working and mixing with tourists since she was a young girl. Her name (for blog purposes only) is Nora and she has become one of my best friends in Dahab and she has enlightened me to many bedouin ways and customs.

From the age of 16 potential husbands started approaching her for marriage, but she refused them all for many reasons – some including ‘didnt like his mind’, ‘didnt like the way he looked at me’, ‘didn’t like his mother’ etc. Instead she did what many women do, waited for Mr Right.

Two months ago she found him, and she came smilling to me and said ‘hey im getting married soon’. I will never forget the sparkle in her eyes when she told me this time she had found a nice man who loves her and wants to care for her. I was so happy that she no longer had to listen to anymore men offering her marriage and that she had found one with a good mind and good heart. Right now she is on her honeymoon in Ras Sudr and when she returns to Dahab she will live with her husband – her first time ever living away from the safety and security of the family house.

She is one of the new generation who will not settle for 2nd best and was determined to wait for a good match for her intelligence.

So this blog today is to wish her much happiness with her new husband : )

The Bedouin wedding is an amazing spectacle especially when it is held on a full moon. The women wear shawls embelished with sequins that sparkle under the moon light while they dance to the rhythum of the drum.

The wedding is held over three days, the first night is a party for the man getting married with his family, the second is for the woman and her family and the third night is usually the big party when all the families come together to celebrate. This is the night when the party is usually in the desert and when most of Dahabs Bedouin will not be in the town. The party attracts Bedouins from all over Sinai who are family or friends of the bride and groom.

Bedouin Wedding Shawl

During this wedding the men would go around the wadi (valley) on their camels and this would be a spectacle in itself. But today with the camel more likely to have been replaced by the Toyota Pick Up the parade is like watching a stock car race. The toyotasweave around the valley, horns beeping and people cheering. Very interesting to watch and a great advert for the versitilty of the Toyota Pick up in the desert.

Toyota...the modern Bedouin camel

As night falls the drums and the simsimia ( a string instrument traddtional to Bedouin music) start, the clapping and singing beggings. The single unmarried bedouin ladies all take turns to dance in front of the unmarried men in the hope that a good man may ask for her hand in marriage. This part of the wedding is the most amazing to watch showing that Bedouin culture is someting to nuture  and preserve.

So long live the tradditional Bedouin wedding, and the Bedouin culture here in Sinai and heres to love, marriage and happiness : )

Marbrouk to Nora and Gomer may they live in happiness and much love together :  )