2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the permission of the author. Copyright © 2010 Zoltan Matrahazi Royalties from the sale of this book are automatically transferred to the South Sinai Foundation (charity registered in England and Wales:1128955) and are used in full to support gardeners to improve their gardens. www.southsinaifoundation.org No liability is accepted for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by this book or the information contained within this book. ISBN 1453811419 Front and back cover photos: the garden of El Freish in winter and summer.

3

“If you reach for the stars, you might not quite get one,

but you won’t end up with a handful of mud, either.”

Leo Burnett

Many thanks to the people of St. Katherine and the Jabaleya Bedouin community for their hospitality and taking me in.

Many thanks to Lucy for editing this book and to Gordon for an earlier

edit of some parts and for never refusing me a coffee.

4

Contents

Foreword 5Jabaleya orchard gardening: continuing Byzantine traditions

7

Practical info: visiting the gardens 10Case studies 11 Abu Jidda 12 Ramadan’s garden 15Map of area and gardens 18List of gardens 19Gallery: Mountain Circle 56Further information 96

5

Foreword Although one of the main aims of this book is to raise funds to support Bedouin families to improve their gardens and contains information relevant to this work, I hope it is a nice and interesting book for those too who are not really interested in development issues and might have never been to Sinai. This little book brings you rare and unexpected images of this unique land and ancient culture – I hope you will like the photos and am sure these glimpses of a desert environment and existence based on it will come as a surprise to most of you. Buying this book you have contributed to the well-being of the gardens. Royalties from the sale of this book are automatically transferred to a charity and are used in full to support gardeners to improve their places. Right now the focus is on the garden of Abu Jidda, which needs little to reach a state where its owner, Farhan, can start earning an income from his garden for the first time. If more is raised other gardeners can benefit as well. There are other worthy initiatives which deserve support, and the Bedouin communities in Wadi Feiran and the desert should not be over-looked either. If you wish to do more, there are also other ways you can help: • Suggest to or buy this book for your friends or family. • Fundraising – help with fundraising or donate. • Stay with a family in a garden – you can make easy walks in the

area and, according to the season, you can work with the families. • Sponsor a garden – support a family and their garden or specific

improvements. The garden projects are in cooperation with:

South Sinai Foundation SSF (charity registered in England and Wales: 1128955) is the UK partner charity of the Community Foundation for South Sinai (charity registered in Egypt: El-Tur Nov 2006-02)

www.southsinaifoundation.org Contact: lucy@southsinaifoundation.org

32 New Zealand Lane Duffield Derby DE56 4BZ United Kingdom

Our work is on a voluntary basis and donations will be used in full to fund the initiatives. We will keep you informed of how your donation has helped. Information on these garden projects: Zoltan Matrahazi z.matrahazi@gmail.com

6

A high yielding fig variety grafted on a native, wild tree

7

Jabaleya orchard gardening continuing Byzantine traditions Although little known to most people, there are hundreds of beautiful orchards and gardens, established in ancient times, in the centre of the arid Sinai peninsula.

The Bedouin are generally thought of as pastoralist nomads who rely on their herds of goats and sheep for all their needs, with agriculture a marginal, supplementary activity. Although some wealthy families might have owned land and oases, they were looked after and tended by landless peasants for a share of the produce. The Jabaleya, however, a Bedouin tribe from around the town of St. Katherine, are a unique exception. In addition to the seasonal migration with their herds, they have also tended orchards in the high mountains, a tradition going back to early Byzantine times when there was a very active monastic life involving thousands of hermits, monks and settlers from the Mediterranean living in small colonies all around Southern Sinai. The Jabaleya have always enjoyed a special relationship with the monks from the monastery of St Katherine and it is most probably from them that they received new species of fruit trees and learnt the techniques of orchard gardening that are still practiced today.

The climate and geology of the Sinai Mountains allows horticulture while determining its unique pattern. Although a desert eco-system, it nevertheless receives 4-10 times more rain then the rest of the peninsula thanks to its elevation over 1600 m above sea level. Most of the precipitation happens in the winter months and all of it might fall within a couple of hours in one day. Water cannot penetrate the red granite slopes, which make up 75-85 % of the region, and the run-off water gathered from a large area funnels through a system of narrow gullies, basins and valleys, causing very powerful flash floods. Some of the water is captured in soft and porous volcanic rocks such as dykes – often present as long, dark lanes that cut through granite ranges. The remaining water rushes through the basins and valleys, some of it soaking into the rare soil trapped by granite ridges, boulders and terraces. Because of the association of both water and good soil, virtually all gardens are built in the stream bed, forming a ribbon of green gardens in the valleys and secluded oases in the basins. The gardens depend on the occasional flash floods to enrich the groundwater, but the very same can destroy walls, bury wells, uproot trees and carry away livestock.

There are about 500 Bedouin gardens in the high mountains, all built in a similar way with massive stone walls, sometimes 2 metres wide at the base, to protect them from the flash floods and secure them

12

Abu Jidda Abu Jidda is a small granite basin in the Sinai high mountains, about 2 hrs walk from the town of St. Katherine. There is a hidden garden in the secluded basin, located above the main wadis in spectacular surroundings. The owner, Farhan Mohamed Zidan, would like to improve his garden so he can start receiving visitors and earn a modest income from his place. With a little support as well as putting his own resources in it he has finished the stone room which his father started, building it up from the original foundation with rocks and earth found locally, and covering it with cane, an insulation layer and earth. A window and door was installed, and the outer walls were protected from the occasional rains. In front of the room now a summer room, called arisha, is being built which is almost finished. A number of tranquil sitting places around the basin have also been created. What else is needed and estimated cost Furnishing the arisha and the room (mattresses, blankets, pillows, carpets, two tables, candleholders etc.)

2000 LE 235 GBP

A small kitchen (gas bottle, stove, little building with rock and timber, pots etc.)

1600 LE 188 GBP

A simple shower area (little building with rock and timber, cane-mats)

600 LE 70 GBP

A composting toilet (building with rock and timber, cane-mats)

4000 LE 470 GBP

Shaded family area above the well (building with rock and timber, cane)

1600 LE 188 GBP

Total: 9800 LE 1150 GBP Additional note: A solar irrigation system is Farhan’s old dream so he can replace the noisy diesel-powered pump he is using now.

13

The garden is located above the main wadis…

…in a hidden granite basin.

There are many fruit trees. Apricot is one of the main produce.

Drying apricots for winter months. Farhan and his son, Ahmed, cleaning almonds.

Farhan making bread. Materials and tools have to be brought up by camel.

14

There was already a foundation built by his father.

Earth and rocks from the spot are used.

The wall is getting higher. Building the roof with wooden poles and canes...

…which was waterproofed and covered with sand.

An attached summer room, arisha, is taking shape.

15

Ramadan’s Garden Ramadan Abu Sayed and his extended family live in a big garden in Wadi Arbain, about 45 minutes from the town of St. Katherine. The garden is right above the Monastery of the Forty Martyrs and right below Mt. Sinai. The location of the garden offers a quiet alternative to climbing Mt. Sinai and is also on the Mt. Katherine route. There are basic facilities and Ramadan has been receiving visitors, mostly trekkers, for a long time. However trekking groups are less frequent these days and there are more of the independent traveller, couples and families. With improved facilities he could cater for these smaller groups – who probably prefer more than a carpet on the ground, suitable for trekkers. There are several stone huts scattered around the family tent and one of them, standing empty, has been restored and upgraded; the old roof has been replaced and the upper part of the walls strengthened; a window has been opened and a wooden door installed; flat sitting areas were created around the hut; inside the hut beds and a corner bench was built from rocks; the room was furnished with good mattresses, carpets, blankets, cushions, a table and other small items. The aim of this initiative is to show how easy and relatively cheap it is to make improvements – renovating existing old buildings instead of new constructions – while at the same time improving the comfort of visitors and supporting a Bedouin family. What else is needed and estimated cost A shadow-roof (arisha) in front of the hut (timber, cane, little building with rock)

1000 LE 118 GBP

A simple shower area (little building with rock and timber, cane-mats)

500 LE 59 GBP

A composting toilet (building with rock and timber, cane-mats)

3000 LE 353 GBP

Total: 4500 LE 530 GBP

18

Map of area and gardens

Gardens with toilet Gardens without toilet Main places of interest 1. Elijah’s Basin (tent) 2. Ramadan’s garden 3. Oda’s garden 4. Saad’s garden 5. Garden of Mohammed Hashash 6. Garden of Hmeid Abu Ghalaba 7. Garden of Hussein Abu Tarawa 8. Wadi Bulia gardens (Abu Rafia-Ulad Mgannam and Abu Hebb families) 9. Garden of Salem Faraj 10. Garden of Hussein Abu Ghalaba 11. Garden of Saad Salah 12. Dr. Ahmed’s garden 13. Emran garden (Monastery) 14. El Freish garden 15. Garden of Mohamed Musa (Camel school)

16. Garden of Hussein Hashash 17. Garden of Farhan Faraj 18. Isbail’s garden 19. Umm Saad’s garden 20. Garden of Farhan Zidan (Abu Jidda) 21. Gardens of Sharaha and Ibrahim Salah 22. Shob’s garden

23. Visitor Centre 24. Monastery of St. Katherine 25. Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa) 26. Monastery of the Forty Martyrs 27. Rock of Moses (Hajar Musa) 28. Mt. Katherina 29. Waterpools of Wadi Mathar 30. Palace of Abbas Pasha 31. Waterpool of Galt el Azraq 32. Canyon of Wadi Sagar 33. Waterpools of Shaq (Kharazet el Shaq) 34. Canyon of Naqb Abu Seila 35. Chapel of St. John Climacos 36. Monastery of Coasmas and Damianos

Information is based on 2010 data

19

List of gardens The following list of gardens was compiled in 2008, based on surveying the whole high mountain region and documenting some 200 gardens. It recommends the best gardens to visit based on how well the garden is looked after, its facilities, location and potential. Note: this document provides information accurate at the time of writing. There are some changes now which have not yet been updated in this list but are on the map: the recently restored gardens of the Aluan family in El Freish, one developed by Hmeid Abu Ghalaba in Wadi Zawatin and the Abu Hebbs’ garden in Wadi Bulia rebuilt by Bedouin Paths. Small improvements have been made in several other gardens as well. This list groups gardens according to areas – or hubs – which are located along the main hiking circuits, and gives the name and family/clan of the owner, description of the garden and recommendations. Areas (hubs) in the high mountains: 1. Wadi Arbain 2. Wadi Shaq 3. Wadi Zawatin 4. Ras el Jibal 5. Wadi Talaa 6. Wadi Itlah 7. Wadi Tinya 8. Wadi Abu Tuweita 9. Farsh Rummana 10. Bustan el Birka 11. Sheikh Awad 12. Jebel Banat

20

Area 1. Wadi Arbain Distance from town (one way on foot)

1 hr

Description It is a narrow valley containing the Monastery of the Forty Martyrs and the Rock of Moses, on the way to Mt. Sinai or Mt. Katherine. Good track, very easy to reach from the town.

Distance from main places of interest (one way on foot)

• Jebel Katherina 4 hrs • Jebel Musa (Mt. Sinai) 2 hrs • Farsh Loza and Farsh Safsafa 2

hrs

21

Wadi Arbain Owner (family)

Ramadan Eid (Abu Sayed)

Property type Big garden, many stone rooms and a number of

arishas and Bedouin tents in separate locations. Location Narrow valley. Water Good amount of water, water tank, well. Garden walls Good condition. Orchard, garden

Fruit trees, grape, vegetables, herbs.

Facilities Simple shower, toilets. Suggested stay type

Overnight and extended stay.

Number of people in summer

Up to 100.

Number of people in winter

Up to 20.

Personal information

Ramadan plays the simsimiya, a stringed Bedouin instrument, and breeds rock hyraxes.

Suggested repairs and improvements

Replacing the toilets for composting toilets, small improvements.

22

Area 2. Wadi Shaq (Wadi Shaq, Wadi Mathar, Wadi Rhazana, El Hrezi)

Distance from town (one way on foot)

1.5 hrs

Description The area is right below Jebel Katherina on the Western side of the range. • Wadi Shaq is a short, narrow wadi

with one Bedouin garden. • Wadi Mathar is a big, open sandy

plain with three big gardens some distance apart, a narrow canyon with seasonal water pools, the ruins of a Byzantine monastic settlement and a hermit cell.

• Wadi Rhazana is a wide valley with abandoned and rarely used Bedouin gardens and buildings.

• El Hrezi is a small valley at the foot of Jebel el Ahmar and separated from Wadi Mathar by a small granite ridge, with a Bedouin garden.

Distance from main places of interest (one way on foot)

• Jebel Katherina 4 hrs • Jebel Abbas Basha 3 hrs • Galt el Azraq 6 hrs • Bab el Donya 6 hrs • Kharazet el Shaq 4 hrs

23

Wadi Shaq Owner (family)

Oda Mohammed (Abu Masaud)

Property type Medium size garden with building and 2 arishas, and

separate stone huts in different state. Location Secluded narrow valley between steep rock walls. Water Good amount of water, water tanks, wells. Garden walls Good condition. Orchard, garden

Fruit trees, grape, vegetables, herbs.

Facilities Composting toilet, simple shower. Suggested stay type

Overnight and extended stay.

Number of people in summer

Up to 50.

Number of people in winter

Up to 4 now, 20 if stone huts repaired.

Personal information

Oda stays long periods in his garden all year round, and he is a handyman and silversmith.

Suggested repairs and improvements

Repairing and improving stone huts around garden so he can provide secluded places for longer stays and in the winter.

56

Snow is not uncommon in and around St. Katherine in the winter, but it settles and remains only in patches on the higher mountains.

Gallery: Mountain Circle

57

There used to be more water, old people recall. Nowadays it rains or snows 3-4 times in a good a year. It is always a blessing.

58

The snow is the best source of water as it is released slowly, soaking into the ground and raising the water table.

63

Some creeks might last up to half a year, but most disappear from the surface within days.

64

Some streams keep flowing underground, feeding water pools all year round.

69

Species are very localised and might vary from wadi to wadi.

74

There is a wide selection of domesticated trees in the orchards, such as apricot.

83

Weaving is another tradition which is still practiced in many households. It is done in the open with either recycled materials, cotton threads or sheep hair.

84

A camel carrying a Bedouin tent. As boys grow up, they move from looking after sheep and goats, to maybe having a donkey, to working with camels.

91

At bigger gatherings the men do the cooking. Women might help, but they work, sit and eat in a separate location.

92

Fresh bread, known as fatir, is baked on metal sheets. The other popular bread is libbe, baked in hot ashes.

95

Season after season, year after year, generation after generation, this is how it has always been – this is the circle of Bedouin life.

96

Further information For more information about the town of St. Katherine, the Sinai High Mountain Region and South Sinai visit: www.st-katherine.net www.discoversinai.net

97

You might also be interested in the following title:

The only trekking guide to the South Sinai mountains and desert, with 8 treks from 6 different regions. A concise book with maps, GPS waypoints, short general information, route descriptions,

trek images and a small trekkers’ dictionary.

Available on the www.discoversinai.net and www.sinaitrekking.com websites.

98