BEDOUIN
Traditionally nomadic residents of the desert – although nowadays only a small percentage of them still adhere to this type of lifestyle, due to increased sedentarisation.
The term “Bedouin” is derived from the Arabic word “Bedaya,” which means beginning. So it can be understood from this connection that the forefathers of the tribes of today were the original inhabitants of these desert wastes.

DEIR
Monastery / Nunnery.

FARSH
A wide, open, level area such as a plateau, although some may occur In lower lying areas.

JEBEL
Mountain in Arabic. Can also be transliterated as “ Gabal” or “Gebel.”

SHEIKH
The head of a family or tribe. Traditionally, the holder of this title should be a man of some spiritual awareness, ie a godly man, and not just one who happens to be powerful through other means. The original role model could be said to be the prophet Mohamed himself!

WADI
Valley, frequently an ancient dried up river bed. Many such wadis are home to an astonishing variety of plants and herbs, due to their residual underground water deposits. These deposits originate from an era millions of years ago when the whole of the Sinai peninsula was underwater. In addition, in more recent times – some thousands of years ago! – Sinai was subject to heavy rainfall, hard as this may be to believe today!