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Egypt · Traditions · Hard

What is the name of the distinctive black wool tent, woven by Bedouin women of the Sinai and Eastern Desert from goat hair, whose design — with a central ridge pole and tensioned side ropes — has not changed in millennia?

Bayt al-sha'r ('house of hair') is the traditional goat-hair tent that has sheltered Bedouin families for thousands of years — the fabric is woven on a ground loom by women in long strips, then sewn together; goat hair swells when wet to become waterproof, and shrinks when dry to allow ventilation, making it perfectly adapted to the desert climate.

Play Egypt · Traditions