Village type Bedouin. - Public domain image. Dry plate negative.

A semi-nomadic group of tribes, the oldest desert people of the Arabian Peninsula. Known for their ingenuity and hospitality, the Bedouin have adapted to living in a harsh climate. Their tribes moved constantly from place to place, travelling thousands of miles across the sand dunes. They used the sun to determine east and west, and the stars to determine north and south. They also used the shape of the dunes as a guide to the direction of the prevailing winds. The Bedouins were excellent trackers and could not only tell the difference between human and animal tracks in the sand, but also whether they belonged to a man, a boy, a woman or a girl.