"Ain-Hudra" in Arabic which literally means : "Hudra spring", is a marvelous oasis full of palm trees surrounded and embraced by steep beautiful sandstone mountains from all directions. It lies in the southern part of Sinai peninsula, Egypt.

 

millions of years ago, Sinai, the V-shaped peninsula of Egypt was once part of Africa and Arabia in a land mass we now call the Great Rift Valley.

 

Over centuries, the continental plates, volcanic activity and other factors tore the Sinai away from its neighboring continents, while also thrusting up great rocky mountains. Its former connection to Africa and Arabia are, nevertheless, echoed by the terrain in Africa, across the Gulf of Suez and in Arabia, across the Gulf of Aquaba.

 

Sinai is approx. 380 km long (north - south) and 210 km wide (west - east). The surface area has an extension of 61.000 km², the coasts are stretching about 600 km on the west and on the east.

On the western part there is the Gulf of Suez (with the Suez channel) and the eastern part of Sinai brings up the much deeper Gulf of Aqaba. The sea in the Gulf of Suez measures approx. 80 meters only, while the profile of the Gulf of Aqaba goes down to approx. 1.830 meters. The latter is a part of the big land rift that extends until Kenya.

 

Sinai in general is now considered to be dry region that lacks sufficient rainfall most of the year. There is some underground water that produces the Oases in Sinai, but only in low altitude regions yet consequently, these springs and wells depend on rain for refilling. Lack of water is becoming a major problem since the whole area of Sinai didn't receive opulent rain for the last 15 years. It could very much be due to the global climate change the whole world is encountering.

Hurda Oasis

 

In Oasis of Hudra there are about 20 Bedouin families living and having their water supply from that spring. As the number of tourists exploring and trekking Sinai apparently is growing up, tourism has become an extra source of income to Bedouins living in sites of attraction.

 

Here and there you would see Bedouin women (old and young) selling trinkets at locations where tourists tend to stop or pass by.

            

 

They would offer you accommodation in their pre-suited typical Bedouin suits. It's separated in a way from the rest of the main house the family lives in, so visitors would have their privacy, as well as the family, though still inside the house complex. No food is essentially offered, yet you can use a small kitchen to prepare your own food and hot drinks. A clean moderate wooden bathroom is available too.

You would acquire a first-hand experience of how a typical Bedouin life is. Though modern life outcomes had made its influence over almost everyone on the globe, yet some communities of which Bedouins are certainly one of them, still hold their own ancient culture values and tradition till now.

 

Though the serenity and soul peacefulness you get there could be enough for some to retreat, yet the place promises more. A rounded seven km energetic hike would take you first to what it's called the shorfa (in Arabic) which literally means "balcony". And the reason behind this name is due to its elevated site from which you can watch and observe the entire oasis in such a marvelous panoramic view. The side-walls of the mountains that get narrower the more you head forward, are full of naturally-made surreal colored paintings that distinguish its sandstone nature.

Subliminal message on the mountain!

 

After descending from the other side and after extra couple of kilometers you reach another nature gallery that exhibits unique sandstone formations this time. Whether you are a nature lover or a geologist, you'll spend longer time gazing at these formation trying to figure out how they have been formed the way they are now.

Sandstone formation begins with sediment that turns to rock during diagenesis. Diagenesis defines the chemical and physical changes the sediment undergoes during burial, including cementation -"sediment glue"- and compaction. Still geologists want to understand what controls sandstone diagenesis, how it turns into sandstone.