Mohamed El-Hebeishy explores Fustat, in the valley of camels Fustat is back. Not the city built by Amr Ibn Al-Aas but the desert ecolodge built in the middle of the eastern desert bearing the name Fustat. The story of Fustat tells of a dove that laid an egg in the tent of the Arab conqueror of Egypt, Amr Ibn Al-Aas, while he marched to Alexandria. When he triumphantly returned he ordered the building of Egypt's new capital Fustat, or rather the "Tented Camp" on the very spot where the dove laid its egg. Today's Fustat is located some 850 kilometres south of Cairo in Wadi Al-Gemal National Park. It is a desert ecolodge that bears the name Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal. Wadi Al-Gemal translates literally to Valley of the Camels, from the fact that the lush green vegetation that the valley enjoys qualifies it as one of the best grazing territories in the arid area. With camels being the main grazing livestock in the desert, it was no wonder to have the whole valley named after them. Once famous for its emerald mines during the time of the Pharaohs and high trading traffic during the Roman era, Wadi Al-Gemal is now a sanctuary for wildlife and a haven for peace-of-mind seekers and nature lovers. Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal is a desert ecolodge that holds firm to its name -- a tented camp located seven kilometres into the eastern desert from the main coastal road. Marketing director May Shehab said the original idea started three years ago in the White Desert. "The philosophy of Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal is to provide informative tours and quality service in desert environments," Shehab said. "When the opportunity surfaced for an ecolodge in Wadi Al-Gemal National Park, we didn't hesitate. Having an ecolodge in a national park is not easy especially when you have a long list of regulations as is given by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). For instance, any permanent construction of any kind is absolutely out of the question. The whole camp is composed of white tents, some of which are situated on wooden platforms. This in itself is a challenge, especially when you think of providing top quality service," Shehab added. Inaugurated in May 2005, Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal, headed by managing director Walid Ramadan, is still in its first days. Camel safaris into the valley is the main activity offered at the moment. Like divers have their orientation session before going underwater, we too had our orientation session before heading off on camel back. The orientation was in the form of a 20-minute documentary. It covers not only the geography of the place or the nature of the desert ship, as camels are known as, but extends to cover the wide diversity of the park's ecosystem as well as the traditions and customs of the indigenous tribes inhabiting the southern part of the eastern desert in general and Wadi Al-Gemal in particular. After watching this brilliant documentary in Fustat's mini-cinema while sipping our cold refreshing welcome drink, we headed out to discover the valley. Whenever you hear the words "camel safari" or "camel ride", automatically you imagine yourself on the back of a camel, trekking the sandy slopes of the desert. But hold on. What if you can't ride a camel? Historically speaking, that would mean you would stay behind, but now you can join the league in a camel wagon. Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal has managed to come up with this brilliant idea not only in its design that accommodates for desert sand but also in convenience when it comes to pulling. Camels in Egypt have never been trained to pull; it requires a huge amount of effort by the camel boys to train them to pull wagons with eight guests on board. Guests are offered a selection of tours starting from half-days either in the morning or evening, to overnight stays. Some are designed for up to a week in the valley. Whether on camel back or sitting in a camel's wagon, you'll surely enjoy the ride. If you are doing the sunrise safari, you have enough time to wander around while breakfast is being prepared. A complete intercontinental breakfast is served with elements of the local cuisine to add to its flavour. Guburit or gaboury, as it is sometimes called, is a local type of bread baked by being buried in the ground and covered with hot charcoal. One may find it slightly repulsive to eat bread baked in sand but lose your city etiquette and table manners and take a bite of the most beautiful bread I have ever tasted. Opting for the sunset safari twists the programme slightly. No dinner is served amidst the desert as darkness would soon shroud the valley. In substitution, a hot feast awaits you in Fustat's main dining tent. Local Egyptian dishes are flavoured with European elements and indeed whet the appetite of Egyptian as well as European taste. Camel meat with walnut sauce was out of this world type of dish that is difficult to beat. Pleasing myself to such a banquet of delights, I found myself on the rather sluggish side by the time of the folklore performance. The folklore show is different from anything else presented in other resorts. It is equally amusing, if not more. It is a demonstration of the locals' traditional dances and musical rhymes, dancing with swords and shields to the tunes of time-honoured musical instruments. Taking a peek into history books will unravel stunning information about the indigenous tribes of Wadi Al-Gemal and its surroundings. The Beja Tribe is one of the Red Sea mountains' main ethnicity as it reaches from southern Egypt into eastern Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. It can be divided into four main tribes: Bisharin, Ababda, Hadendoa and Beni Amer. Only the first two inhabit Egyptian territories, mainly in the southern parts of the eastern desert. Ababda are the original dwellers of Wadi Al-Gemal, while Bisharins are inhabitants of the Jabel Elba region located in the southeastern most corner of Egypt. While both are nomadic pastorals, Ababda have abandoned their original tradition of livestock herding due to extended drought conditions that have forced them to live in areas closer to commercial urban centres. This in return has exposed them to a wider range of income generating alternatives. Though both tribes originally speak different dialects of an oral language called "To Bedawie" or Rotana as is commonly known, Ababda have deserted their mother tongue for Arabic. Though Bisharins, inhabitants of the Jabal Elba region, also live in a drought prone area, their territory is actually part of Egypt's biggest national park -- Mountain Elba National Park -- in addition to being a politically disputed area between Egypt and Sudan. Both the remoteness of the area and the difficulties associated with reaching and entering it have both helped the Bisharins to maintain their pastoral nomadism and preserve their original culture and traditional way of living. "At Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal we also offer employment opportunities to the indigenous people who live in the surrounding areas. We provide them with experience in eco- tourism while at the same time they provide us access to a wealth of information of indigenous ecological knowledge," says Shehab. Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal has developed an employment system that enables the Ababda and Bisharin staff to come and work in the ecolodge on a rotational one month basis. This enables them to learn about ecotourism while at the same time maintaining their traditional pastoral lifestyles. But what is the added value of bringing people all the way from Elba, where they can be easily substituted by locals? "The Bisharin in Jebel Elba are the most experienced people in camel training," Shehab said. "We believe that the safety of our guests and staff is not an issue to be compromised with so it's essential to use experts for the job. In exchange for knowledge and experience, Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal provides training in the eco-tourism field for the local communities. Although presently tourism hasn't reached Jebel Elba it is important to be proactive. Working at Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal provides awareness to the Bisharin of how to benefit from ecotourism while also maintaining their cultural integrity." Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal is not only an entertaining experience but an educational one as well. It opens new horizons of knowledge for those visiting the National Park, while allowing a close-up with the local Ababda and Bisharin furnishing an amiable experience of their authentic Beja culture. Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal provides facilities for The Egyptian Desert Pioneer Society (TEDPS), a registered NGO with a list of objectives that include the documentation and preservation of Egypt's desert and indigenous cultures. TEDPS personally welcomes environmental enthusiasts or volunteers with a passion for the desert and its inhabitants to inquire further about the activities of the NGO. This is only phase one. Phase two, scheduled for 2006, comes with luxurious lodging facilities which maintains the aura and essence of the place. In addition is the introduction of a number of courses being taught on site -- botany, indigenous medicinal plant use, geology and animal tracking are examples. With camels being the dominating theme of the "Valley of the Camels" a Camel riding school finds itself among the first row ideas. For more information about Fustat Wadi Al-Gemal log on to www.wadielgemal.com or call 012 1001109.
