The
Ababda are nomads living in the Eastern Desert and
Red Sea mountains in southeast Egypt. This group
of nomads shows strong connections with the overarching
Beja culture in Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia.
The local economy is largely based on herding camels,
goats and sheep, although many nomads nowadays find
employment in fishing, as truck drivers, or as cheap
labor and, increasingly, in tourism. Recent developments
have made the preservation of this rapidly disappearing
local culture extremely urgent. |
| Portraits |
Ababda woman
at Wadi Deef |
Ababda girl
at Wadi Hodean |
Ababda woman
at Wadi Deefat |
Ababda
man at Wadi Hodean |
Ababda
girl at Wadi Deef
|
Ababda child at Wadi Deefat |
Ababda
child at Wadi Deef |
Abbada man by Shiekh Malek
|
Ababda
woman at Hamata Mountain
|
Habitation
types |
Transportable
dwelling 'khiasha' |
Ababda
camp
|
Transportable dwelling 'khiasha' |
Kid goats' tent |
Tomb of
a virtuous shiekh |
Inside the tomb |
Belongings
of the deceased |
A praying
place "mesaleya" by a tomb
|
Possessions
stored away from wildlife |
Acacia
wood traditional shade |
Ababda settlement
at Qulaan |
Settlement
shacks made from drift wood |
Livelihoods-crafts-
customs |
Herding
camel and sheep |
Watering
a camel at Bir Abu Safaa |
Making charcoal
|
Trading
in charcoal |
At the water
well |
Picking
medicinal plants |
A few
Ababda are fishermen |
Fisherman
at Qulaan mangrove bay |
Traditional
weaving |
Rug with
traditional pattern |
Making traditional
cofee'gabana" |
New and
old gabana case |
Gaban
case show intricate details |
'Makhala’
is a mascara container |
Guide points
out the prehistoric rock art |
Moving on
with possessions on camel |
Wedding
at Wadi El Gemal |
Wedding
at Wadi El Gemal |
Festival
’mouled’ at Sheikh Malek
|
Swings
in mouled |
Carousel
in mouled |
