A Bedouin Life in the Desert

Deserts are known for hot days, cold nights, and dry conditions.  It's hard to imagine anybody living there.  But we all grew up hearing the stories.  Moses and his people wandered the desert for 40 years before reaching "The Promised Land."  It's a nomadic lifestyle battling the elements, but one that people are still living today.

I was lucky to get a taste of that life when I traveled to the Negev Desert in Israel back in college.  Here's a little bit of background on weather in the Negev...

Reliable records from Ovda International Airport only really go back to 2007, but in the past few years, temperatures have ranged from about 33 to 104 degrees, rarely dropping below freezing.  Most days, there are very few clouds in the sky to protect people from the sun - and the dry areas barely see 8 inches of rain per year.  For comparison, an average US City like New York gets closer to 50 inches per year.

If you're not getting the picture yet, just think camels.  In fact, the pictures you see in this post are from my trip.  Of course, I wasn't just wandering the desert on my own.  I went with a group of students to stay the night in a Bedouin community.

Bedouins are a nomadic people living in deserts all across the Middle East.  According to Britannica Encyclopedia, they're traditionally animal herders who spend the rainy season in the desert, and the dry season closer to "cultivated land."  Tribes can herd goats, sheep, or of course, camels.

Goisrael.com explains that herding flocks was how the Bedouins made their living back in the day - bringing them from well to well or pasture to pasture across the desert.  Today, many of the tribes have settled down.  One thing that hasn't changed?  Their sense of hospitality.

Bedouins have a long tradition of hospitality, which has turned them into a tourist attraction of sorts in the 21st century.  While reading about different tribes online, I came across this website - Desert Life by Bedouin Life.  It says "A guest is always welcome to the Bedouin home.  We feel our houses are like a poor home without guests.  All the big family will come to share the food with the guests who came to one of the houses in the village."

By "houses" they mean tents.  Traditional Bedouin tents were woven from goat hair, which repelled rain water and insulated against heat and cold.  Although modern materials are often used nowadays, the cozy tent feel is still a part of the experience for visitors.

Nomads don't have much use for furniture, so meals are eaten on cushions on the ground... and speaking from personal experience, guests also sleep on the ground.

I do specifically remember the food being fantastic: flavorful rice and vegetables with homemade bread and sauces.  Eating in a large group in circles around the table with our hands was an experience that might not fly in my apartment here in the US, but it definitely felt right for a night under the desert stars!