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Sand and threadCraftConcept · on request

Bedouin embroidery

Cross-stitch with the women who keep the Sinai's designs, in the mountain town of St Catherine.

Where
St Catherine, South Sinai
Proposed length
2–3 hours
Nerve
Nerve: Curious
Bedouin cross-stitch stars in coloured thread on a black fabric bookmark; where it was made is not recorded.
1 Sinai tribe, the Jabaliya, is described as making non-geometric designs. Source

The story

Bedouin women in South Sinai have turned to embroidery to keep their designs alive and to earn (Al-Monitor, 2017).

FanSina, a social enterprise in St Catherine founded by Selema Gabaly, a Bedouin woman, works with the Jabaliya, described as the only Sinai tribe whose embroidery is non-geometric (ClothRoads). We cite it as reporting, not as a partner.

Our judgement: The monastery is the stop. This is the town's living craft, bought from the hands that made it.

What happens

  1. Meet embroiderers and see the pieces a tribe is known for.
  2. Learn a traditional stitch and motif on a small square.
  3. Hear what each design means, and which are the Jabaliya's own.
  4. Buy, if you wish, directly from the women who made the work.

A proposed shape, not a fixed programme. The host sets the order on the day.

What it asks of you

  1. Nerve: CuriousAnyone who is curious. You sit, watch, try and ask.This experience
  2. Nerve: BoldPhysically demanding or unnerving: steep, tight, deep, hot or remote.
  3. Nerve: QualifiedA certificate is required before you start. We ask for it, and so will the operator.

Good light and a steady hand. No skill is assumed.

What we confirm before you go

  • A women's group that welcomes visitors, on their terms
  • Whether men in your party may join
  • How the women are paid for their time

Where it fits

More in sand and thread

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Ask about it

Tell us your dates and where you will be. We confirm the host, the timing and the terms before anything is booked.

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Your travel request

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I am interested in "Bedouin embroidery" (St Catherine, South Sinai). Please confirm what can be arranged, and when.

Sources and review

Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Facts are attributed to their sources; where we give a judgement, we say so. This page names no host, school, boat or workshop.

Photo: PMATAS, CC BY-SA 4.0