The term “biblical” comes to mind when describing the way of life of the Bedouins, nomadic Arabs (Kay 10), during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when the Bedouins dominated the Arabian Peninsula (Clifforrd 31). Indeed, the Bedouins live a life wandering in the desert and in fact, the word “Bedouin” comes from the Arabic word “badawiyin,” meaning “inhabitants of the desert” (qtd. Kay 7). They live in the deserts of the Middle East, rearing sheep and camels for a living (Kay 7). Often moving from place to place, due to the arid environment, they search for fresh grass on which their animals can graze; this vagrant lifestyle is made possible by the domestication of the one-humped dromedary camel, the only animal that can not only cover the long distances between patches of grass, but also survive without well or spring water to drink (Clifford 31). Camels are the Bedouin’s main mode of transport and they also provide milk when water is scarce, occasionally even meat, and their hairs are used for the Bedouins’ tents (Clifford 33). These tents, dubbed “black tents,” for their color, serve as homes for the nomads. Easy to pack up and to move within an hour or two, they are well adapted to the needs of the nomadic Bedouins (Kay 11). The ease, nonetheless, in constructing and packing them, does not hinder their effectiveness in providing shelter from the wind, warmth during winter nights, shade from the Arabian sun, and cover from the rain.
Within the shelter of these black tents, the Bedouins created for themselves a relatively comfortable life. Inside, protected from the outside elements, ornate, women wall sections divide the tent into different living quarters and quilts, rugs, and blankets often decorate these sections; Sacks of grain, leather bags full of water, dates, or coffee beans, and a tin trunk of clothes are kept in the back of the tent. One section is reserved for the men and their guests and coffee pots, roasting pans, and a pestle and mortar stand close to hand. Rarely do women enter this part of the tent; rather, they watch their husbands conversing with each other or with their guests. Like the men, the women have their own section of the tent: where the family lives and sleeps, and where the food is cooked. Several nuclear families can live under one tent and in this case, each family may be given a section of their own. In any case, Bedouins rarely travel alone, and groups can consist from two to thirty families. (Kay 12)
Because Bedouins often travel together, mainly because survival in a desert environment is impossible for a lone individual, they highly value the importance of kinship ties and family honor (Clifford 33). Disloyalty to the family is considered extremely dishonorable, equivalent to treason. On the other hand, any behavior to ensure survival in the desert is considered honorable, including necessities stemming from poverty such as raiding passing caravans (Clifford 34).
The Bedouin culture, however, since the discovery of oil under the deserts in the 1930s, has changed dramatically. The immense wealth as a result of this discovery has affected all levels of Arab society, even the Bedouins, and many of them have adapted to modern life, for example, forgoing camels in favor of automobiles (Kay 128). The Bedouin of the past is rare to find in Arabia today.
Images from top to bottom:
Bell, Getrude. Untitled. Getrude Bell Archive, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. Arabia Deserta. By Charles Doughty. London: Bloomsbury, 1989. 71.
Bell, Getrude. Untitled. Royal Geographical Society, London. Arabia Deserta. By Charles Doughty. London: Bloomsbury, 1989. 77.