From a goat hair tent in desert. Today, we were invited to share a meal with a Bedouin family. Jobs in the desert are few and far between. Many desert-dwelling Bedouin families make their living as tour guides or by offering tourists meals and tea.

We arrived just in time for a feast of the traditional Jordanian dish called mansaf. The men and Ilana all ate from 1 large plate. However, I’m a vegetarian and I didn’t join them. I was very grateful that our hosts prepared something special just for me.

The proper way to eat mansaf is to use only your right hand, ball-up the rice and meat, and pop it into your mouth. We were warned that eating too much mansaf may cause sleepiness. Just like a big meal at Thanksgiving, everyone was tired after lunch and took a nap.

While the everyone relaxed, I learned how to wear a keffiyah. Middle Eastern women don’t usually wear a keffiyah, but it’s helpful to cover your head when in the hot desert sun.

To me, desert life seemed like extreme camping. Bedouin tents are made from goat hair, that is woven into long, black panels. This is done the same way a carpet or wool sweater is made. However, it takes about 1 year to make each panel. Each tent is made up of about 10 panels.

The tent usually has 2 sections. One section is for the men and their guests. The other section is for the women and cooking.

The tent floor is a layer of carpets placed on top of the sand. Beds are thin cushions that are placed on the carpet floor. The tents can be moved easily. Bedouins move their homes as the weather changes. During times of rainy and cold weather, they will seek shelter in caves. Without a permanent home, they don’t have many personal items. There are no comforts like running water, heat, and electricity.

Camels and the Bedouin. The Bedouin that live in the desert use camels for transportation, meat, and milk. While we were in the desert, we met some camel herders.

A highlight of my day was riding a camel. It was a very bumpy start, but once the camel got up and walking it was a slow and easy ride. I learned that the Bedouin way of riding a camel is to sit with your legs crossed. The picture above shows you how to do this.

FUN FACT: A one-humped camel is known as a Dromedary. A two-humped camel is called a Bactrian.

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