Jebel | Wadi | Sahra: Exploring Relationships Between Bedouins and Travelers along Egypt’s Sinai Trail through Narrative Place-Making

Abstract

The Sinai Trail, established in 2015, is Egypt’s first long distance recreational hiking trail. The trail is both administered by Bedouins – Bedouin guides are required – and located on Bedouin land. Recently, the Sinai Trail has started to garner lots of acclaim from international news outlets. This publicity foretells a dramatic meeting of potentially conflicting forces on the Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai Trail is approaching a critical juncture in which attitudes towards existing Bedouin communities, tourism, and the desert environment will be tested. This thesis seeks to explore the complex relationships along the Sinai Trail and propose a network of interventions that prioritize the preservation, adaptability, and resilience of a people and place that have a captivating and unique story to tell. A design methodology based upon careful observations of culture and landscape is utilized to propose a series of built settings that facilitate mutually beneficial interactions between Bedouins and travelers.