Nomads in No-Man’s Land

Rulers have come and gone, but none have won the trust of the the Eastern Desert’s tribes. Now that the Beja tribes are grudgingly considering settlements, is this the end of the “Fuzzy-Wuzzy” way of life?

MY FIRST TRIP to the Eastern Desert was to visit a gold mine. I wasn’t the only visitor there — a group of geologists, miners and industry experts were inspecting the site as well. During our time together, I learned that these men had spent most of their lives in Egypt’s furthest corners.

The average age of the group was well over 60, and there were literally hundreds of years of experience assembled in the desert.

 Naturally, the conversation centered on the uniqueness of —and the oddities in — Egypt’s hinterlands.