Find Your Way

The Bedouin have long navigated the harsh desert terrain of the Middle East using nothing but winds, sun, stars and the moon. Their remarkable skills can still be experienced today amid the region’s mesmerising landscapes.

Words: ISABELLA SULLIVAN

Since time immemorial, people have navigated under the guidance of the stars. Nature has been a constant guiding force, the power of gusting winds, rushing rivers and mist-cloaked mountains providing natural landmarks.

These markers hold particular importance for the Bedouin people, native to the Middle East and Levant, whose harsh desert terrain home and nomadic lifestyle had led to an unbreakable, generations-long bond with the land. Long before GPS and even maps, the Bedouin were navigating the region’s enigmatic dunes – sun-baked and shaped by the sands of time – using nothing but the sun and stars. They confidently traversed the seemingly unnavigable landscape with skills passed down through generations.

This art form still prevails in destinations such as Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Oman. Driven by ties to livestock and family, they traverse deserts and wadis, rooted in the wisdom of desert survival. These stark lands have fostered rich cultures and traditions, and the Bedouin are known for their outstanding and accommodating hospitality, all of which can be experienced today.

The Bedouin people

The term Bedouin is widely used for nomadic people, but the real Bedouin people originate from the Middle East and Northern Africa, from communities in Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Translating to someone who lives out in the open, the term has effectively come to distinguish a desert dweller, from ancient times to modern-day Bedouins, who still live across the region and honour these traditions and way of life.

It is estimated that the Bedouin number around four million today, although just five percent live as pastoral nomads in the Middle East. It’s still possible to learn their ways of life, most notably their time-honoured skills for navigating wildly beautiful yet seemingly impenetrable desert expanses.

Even within their own nationalities, the Bedouin are often recognisable. Among Egyptian Bedouins, men wear long white gallabeya. Women wear long, coloured dresses and a black abaya with intricate embroidery. In the Arabian Peninsula, women traditionally wore decorative veils, known as the burqa, but younger generations often favour a thin scarf known as a tarha – although each community has its own sacred dress and traditions. Bedawi is the chosen language, still spoken today.

In traditional Bedouin culture, guests can stay for up to three days, without question. They are only asked their intention, or even their name, on the fourth day.

The need for navigation

Living away from development, and often in harsh desert climes, the Bedouin have learnt what few could dream of – the art of navigating the dunes through the movements of the sun, moon and stars.

Without road signs or buildings to mark their way, methods were formed over millennia, utilising the subtle cues of nature and how the wind whips to shape the desert dunes. The Bedouin historically migrated to seek shelter or respite, to reach resources for their sheep, goats and camels, or to seek plants for medicine or food. To do so, these communities needed to navigate through some of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes. Camels, themselves creatures with deep-set memories, often progressed alongside.

The sunrise in the east and the sunset in the west are key tools for the Bedouin. Wind also forms a crucial role in navigating during the day – with sand dune horns pointing away from the prevailing wind, which largely blows from east to west.

During the day, landmarks also play a role. In southern Jordan’s Wadi Rum, burnt orange dunes and lunar-like rock formations stretch as far as the eye can see. These seemingly desolate lands become living maps: rocks shaped by the sands of time, undulating dunes, tres and terrain can guide the way. In Wadi Rum, the Bedouin can recognise some 100 species of plants, including sage, to make tea. Similar stories unfold among the Bedouin communities of the Arabian Peninsula and northern Africa.

Life after nightfall

The deserts across the Middle East are formidable –with temperatures reaching up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer months – a dangerous place for inexperienced travellers. Without the capricious sands and sunny skies, the Bedouin mastered the art of navigating by night, using the moon and stars for orientation. Stars are revered as the best navigation for these changing landscapes and whirling dunes. Without light pollution, the stars shine brilliantly – the twinkling planets and constellations much more distinguishable. Moving with the Bedouin, travellers can spot fabled stars like Sirius, Canopus, Capella, Spica and Polaris, not to mention Saturn and Leo.

That said, some groups avoid navigation at night at all costs. And among new generations, the understanding of the stars is fading.

An enduring legacy

While the legacy of great journeys past lives on in older generations of many Bedouin communities, these traditions are becoming rarer. Younger generations often rely on modern technology and GPS – but the art of navigation is still passed down.

Skills once used to guide flocks might now help new visitors traverse old routes. Ancient wisdom lives on alongside smartphones and Land Rovers – providing a key to survival in challenging areas when technology fails.

Travelling with the Bedouin, or staying at Bedouin-run camps, provides an authentic and emotive immersion into desert life. A life that’s now battling with modernity while simultaneously keeping a rich and beautiful culture alive.

Into the desert

Experience Bedouin hospitality with Jacada in Jordan and Oman.

In Oman: reach a luxurious desert camp in Wahiba Sands, led by a Bedouin guide beneath endless dark skies shimmering with millions of stars.

In Jordan: from a Bedouin-inspired tented suite in Wadi Rum, head out on 4x4 drives, sandboarding adventures and guided walks through the mesmerising terrain.