The Culture of South Red Sea: Šalātīn – Abū Ramād

The desert plays an important role in Egyptian life. The Western and Eastern Deserts constitute the majority of the area of Egypt. The importance of the Eastern Desert springs from its strategic importance as well as its economic one. The Eastern Desert is a rocky mound stretching along the Red Sea chain of mountains. The area of Šalātīn – Abū Ramād – Ḥalāyib is 1200 km from Cairo in the Southeast of Egypt. It occupies an area of 1800 km².  The environment in this area is characterized by its relative isolation and its hard terrain and a rain system that is highly changeable with periods of drought and limited natural resources, especially water. The processes of human adaptation are based on grazing and trade. Thus, leading herds in search of
food and water in the rainy season is the basis of the traditional way of life. This study tries to discuss some theoretical issues closely related to the subject. It enumerates the special concepts which are related to surviving problems and the cultural and social operations and it tries to define the assumptions concerning the relationships that guarantee a direct connection between the natural environment and human adaptation.