The scarred desert landscape of Sinai is home to the Bedouins. Originally nomadic people, they have changed with the times and now many of live in and around Dahab. The Bedouins in the Dahab area are called Muzeina and are an important part of the area. The Bedouins give Dahab much of its unique, relaxed atmosphere. Dahab is a famous dive resort that has managed to keep its small-town, hippy feel, unlike the larger centres of Sharm el Sheik and Hurgada.  Dahab is one of the oldest and most famous dive areas in the Red Sea offering some of the most exciting and spectacular diving in Sinai. Dahab, which means ‘gold’ in Arabic, was named after its golden beaches, lying on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula on the Gulf of Aqaba.

 

The journey from the airport in the more touristy Sharm is an hour’s drive through the magnificent desert and mountains.  The Bedouin culture The Bedouin way of life is very different from the dominant Arabic-Islamic cultures in Egypt. For example the Bedouins here take their culture back through the generations to Ishmael in the Bible. The Bedouins are a proud people with a strong sense of identity, having preserved their sense of community and their excellent hospitality, which many of Dahab’s visitors enjoy. As a minority, the various ‘tribes’ manage their land and culture relatively independent of Egyptian society. It is extremely important to the Bedouins to maintain their original traditions and ways of life; for instance they usually still wear their colourful traditional dress, the ‘galibia’. If you’re in Dahab you should definitely take the opportunity to go for a Bedouin dinner and music in the WADIS (small valleys) in the Sinai mountains. The Bedouin DINNER under a clear, star-studded sky deep in the desert is a truly special unforgettable experience.