Tag Archives: Negev
February 20, 2011 ‘Bedouin Hospitality’ Homestays, Naqab (Negev)
‘Bedouin Hospitality’ is a responsible tourism project of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages, an organisation which campaigns for the rights of Bedouin people living in the ‘unrecognised [by the State of Israel] villages’ of the Naqab (Israeli: Negev) desert. Bedouin Hospitality can arrange homestays in several different Bedouin villages and can tailor your stay to to visitors’ needs. For non-Arabic-speaking visitors there are English-speaking hosts, and some hosts can also provide full or half board, tours or talks on the situation for the Naqab Bedouin. Bedouin Hospitality can also arrange tours and meals without accommodation. As Bedouin Hospitality says:
“The Bedouin people are a historically nomadic Arab people who call the desert home and follow their flocks for sustenance. There are Bedouin in almost all Arab nations, and they are regarded as embodying the true essence of what it means to be Arab. In fact, throughout history it was customary for city-dwelling Arabs to send their children to the desert during the summers to live with a Bedouin tribe, so they could learn what it truly means to be Arab, an experience impossible in the city. They are also known for the eloquence of their language, and the culture of poetry recital among the Bedouin remains a staple of Bedouin identity.
In the modern world, however, the traditional Bedouin way of life is a threatened culture. In the Israeli state, the powers that be regard the Bedouin as an inconvenient relic of a forgotten past, and have taken measures to ensure that the Bedouin remain marginalized. There now exist 45 Bedouin villages in the Negev, the southern desert of Israel, where close to 80,000 people live without access to government-provided basic services such as water, electricity, and paved roads. The existence of these villages is the direct result of government attempts to destroy the traditional life of the Bedouin and settle them in cities.”
Contacts
Email: yallylivnat [at] gmail.com
Phone: +972 54 748 7005 or +972 862 83043
Website: www.bedouinhospitality.com
More information on the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages is available in English here or in Arabic here.
Tags: tours, Bradt Guide to Palestine, private rooms, B&B, full board, half board, hiking, walking, Bedouin, homestay, home stay, Negev, Naqab, Bedouin Hospitality, responsible travel, community tourism, accommodation
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- Posted under Naqab/Negev
February 20, 2011 Alsera Homestays, Naqab (Negev)
Alsera is an ‘unrecognised’ Bedouin village in Naqab (known by the Israeli name of Negev). This means that its people are denied basic services, their homes stand under constant threat of demolition, their crops may be poisoned or damaged and their land is taken for new Israeli settlements. Despite this, Khalil Alamour, a teacher from the village who has represented his people and spoken about their plight at the UN, welcomes visitors into his home, where people can learn about the situation for the Bedouin of the Naqab and see how ordinary Bedouins live day-to-day, away from the stereotyped facilities of Israeli tourist sites in the Negev. Visitors need to note that this is a very traditional community where very modest dress must be worn and where unmarried members of different sexes may not share bedrooms.
Contacts
Accommodation in Alsera can be booked in two ways. If you want to pay via credit or debit card, you can book via Green Olive Tours, an Israeli social enterprise which runs tours and provides accommodation in Palestine and Palestinian communities within Israel. Or you can get in touch via Bedouin Hospitality, a community tourism scheme run by the Regional Council of Unrecognized Bedouin Villages.
Tags: accommodation, Alsera, Alsira, Bedouin, Bedouin Hospitality, community tourism, home stay, homestay, Israel, Naqab, Negev, Regional Council for Unrecognised Villages, responsible travel
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- Posted under Naqab/Negev
