This edition presents for the first time fairy tales and stories from the Bedouin living in the Sinai stone desert. It tells of a world that begins right outside the high walls of the large resort hotels.
The ancient culture of the Bedouin is a culture of oral tradition. Their life was determined by poverty and being on the move. A culture of writing and books could not develop on this basis. Nevertheless there has always been literature, poems and stories.
In the course of the Bedouin sedentarisation, the development of tourism and the arrival of new media at the shores of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba this ancient culture is now disappearing. Still there are a few Bedouin who tell these stories at night by the fire, but it will not be long before they have vanished from cultural memory. The tales have gaps and omissions. They present themselves as fragments, similar to archaeological findings, but together the 30 fairy tales and stories draw a colourful picture of Bedouin life. They tell us about being on the move, about how walking determines nomadic life. They tell about the importance of camels and water, about the fierce struggle for survival, about loyalty and hospitality.
Fairy tales and stories were always meant to teach the rules of community and survival and to pass them on to the next generation. Despite their alien character these stories sometimes seem familiar and remind us of the fairy tales we grew up with. Furthermore, they are embedded in a lively description of Bedouin life today. They reveal what is still valid about this vanishing culture.
The book is for researchers as well as for fairy tale lovers and for everyone who wants to look behind the shiny facades of the resorts; for everyone who wants to get a glimpse of the Bedouin culture.