Community

People and Culture

Today, Sinai's fifty thousand Bedouins are divided into fourteen tribes or sub-tribes, which evolved as different groups arrived and merged with each other. The Bedouins living in north and central Sinai consist of four large tribes and a number of lesser tribes and clans. In South Sinai the Bedouin population and tribal territories are smaller than in the north. However, like their brethren in the north the seven tribes of the south have varied origins but are collectively referred to as Towaras, or Arabs of El Tur, formerly a major port and now South Sinai's regional capital. Although the Aleiqat and various clans of the Suwalha were the first Bedouin tribes to settle in Sinai at the time of the Islamic conquest of Egypt, the largest tribe now is the Muzeina, who occupy the most southern part of Sinai along the coastal areas from Sharm El Sheikh to Nuweiba. Each tribe has one or more traditional territories (dirha), which are still recognised, although nowadays different tribes live together.

During the Israeli occupation of Sinai, beginning in 1967, the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Bedouin changed and this caused a gradual move away from the traditional tent settlements to more permanent stone housing. The Bedouin are a conservative people with a rich culture, a reputation for hospitality and a profound knowledge of their land. Wild plants and animals have traditionally supplemented their diet, health, income and material culture. Many Bedouin men work in non-traditional activities, mainly in tourism enterprises as guides or cameleers, although some continue to cultivate mountain gardens. The women herd the livestock and produce traditional craft items.

St. Katherine is home to 7000 Bedouin from six different tribes who play a vital role in supporting the protectorate as community guards, guides and hosts for ecotourism. The ancestors of the local Gebeliya tribe were brought from Macedonia in the 6th century to help build and protect the Monastery. Over the centuries a deep and mutually beneficial relationship has endured between these people and the monks.

Traditional conservation practices

A conservation ethic is deeply rooted in the Bedouin tribal system of al hilf (the agreement) which controls seasonal uses of pasture or personal actions, dakhl (essence), usually in connection with the use and protection trees. These systems are enforced by tribal law, 'urf. When a person pledges to uphold a principle that all tribal people consider just, acting against it violates both a person's honor and 'urf itself. Though the traditional conservation systems are now largely a thing of the past, 'urf still operates and several Bedouin still claim their traditional responsibility for wildlife protection in some areas.

Today, Bedouin communities living within the protectorate continue to pursue their traditional ways of life as well as participate in and benefit from the activities of the park as community guards, manufacturers of handicrafts, guides and hosts for ecotourism activities.