IX. MAN IN ARID LANDS: NORTH FROM JIDDAH
541
Fig. 6. Bedouin making coffee rounds.
finally and he moved on to Sa'id and the drivers. When everyone had been
served he bowed slightly, smiled again, and trotted back off across the
desert. We don't know where he lives but there's no habitation visible for
nearly a mile so he must have walked at least that far and must have gotten
up in the dark to pound the coffee and brew it. A memorable beginning
to our stay and a pointed reminder that the tales of Bedouin hospitality
are founded not on myth but on heart-warming fact. . .
From up here, the summit of a twisted crag in this weird jumble of
rock called Jabal Ethlieb, the valley of Mada'in Salih has a harsh but compelling beauty. It's just past noon and in the heat of the sun the valley is
541
Fig. 6. Bedouin making coffee rounds.
finally and he moved on to Sa'id and the drivers. When everyone had been
served he bowed slightly, smiled again, and trotted back off across the
desert. We don't know where he lives but there's no habitation visible for
nearly a mile so he must have walked at least that far and must have gotten
up in the dark to pound the coffee and brew it. A memorable beginning
to our stay and a pointed reminder that the tales of Bedouin hospitality
are founded not on myth but on heart-warming fact. . .
From up here, the summit of a twisted crag in this weird jumble of
rock called Jabal Ethlieb, the valley of Mada'in Salih has a harsh but compelling beauty. It's just past noon and in the heat of the sun the valley is