Born in New York, Sharon Zobali studied at Bezalel the Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Israel and Parsons the New School for Design in New York, USA. Since leaving New York she has toured the world as a documentary photographer with series in the North and South of Egypt staying with the nomadic tribe, the Bedouins, traveling all around Thailand, living in Israel and staying with the Kuna Yala tribe on the Kuna Yala Islands off the coast of Panama.
The Bedouins | Sinai, Egypt
While living in Tel-Aviv, Israel, I would often cross the Taba Border to South Sinai, Egypt to live amongst and document the nomadic Bedouin tribe. The Bedouins are a group of nomadic Arab people who historically have inhabited the desert regions in North Africa and different parts of the Middle East such as Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The English word bedouin comes from the Arabic badawī, which means “desert dweller.” The vast majority of Bedouin adhere to Islam, although there are some fewer numbers of Arab Christian Bedouins.
Traditions like camel riding, swimming in the desert lagoons and camping are popular leisure activities for urbanized Bedouins. This photographic series portrays the life of the Bedouin community living in the desert of South Sinai in the towns of Dahab, Nuweiba and Ras Abu Galum. It documents the unique cultural practices that come with a lifestyle on the move.
To view more of Sharon Zobali’s work please visit her website.