In less than a week,  three UK Friends will be heading, via Cairo and Sharm el Sheikh, to St Catherine’s and the Sinai Trail, Egypt’s first long-distance walking trail  .

This is more than just a walk: the Friends are investigating how best to deliver support to Beduin families along the trail.  The Beduin tribes – along with their nomadic culture – have suffered badly since tourism collapsed in the Egyptian peninsula  in 2015 and, with it much of the Beduin’s income-earning potential as guides in the Sinai.

New enterprises such as the Sinai Trail are a way to recover but they need support to make them happen.  A fundraising drive this year among Muslim organisations and individuals in the UK has raised the money to provide some needed food aid and help build a well, organised by the Makhad Trust.

This is an exploratory journey. If the initiative is successful, expect to see more and find out how to get involved. Meanwhile, follow our news and, we expect,  see stunning photos as we visit this startlingly beautiful region of the Middle East.

Below is a selection of photos from a  journey on the Sinai Trail made in 2016 by Louise, one of the UK Friends, who will be in the group for this visit. 

Early morning at St Catherine’s Monastery

Mount Sinai peak just before sunset

Beduin oasis and garden

Climbing

Exploring

Tea break

Desert school

View over the Sinai mountains

Breakfast

A room for the night

Morning bread the Beduin way

Ready to go after lunch

A break for the camel

Beach camp before the journey starts

Leon McCarron and Dave Cornthwaite, two British adventurers who have set off to walk 1000 miles of the Abraham Path are now well on their way.  Here is the first blog from Leon.

Hi folks,

I’m writing to you from the Nablus region of Palestine, just one week into a 3 month, 1000 mile walking journey in the heart of the Middle East.

 There is a website for the journey here, and my first blog post about getting started here. For the latest news in bitesize chunks, be sure to also follow on:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

So far, Palestine has been everything I’d hoped for: beautiful, hospitable and full of surprises. The walking has been tough at times – some huge ascents in the wadis of the Jericho region – but always worth it. There’s an incredible amount of stories here; each little village we pass through seems steeped in historical significance. In short – so far, so good!

You can read my thoughts on the politics of the region here. If gear is more your thing, then here’s a rundown on what we’re taking with us. If you’re involved with a school in any way, then the educational side of our project might be of interest. Check it out here!

I’ll send out another update just before Christmas with news on where I’ve got to. In the meantime, the picture above (and my Instagram feed) should give a good idea of where I am!

That’s it for now from Palestine – I’ll be in touch soon with more stories from my adventures on the masar!

Cheers!

Leon

The following Statement of Public Benefit is an extract from the 2014 Annual Report and Accounts of the UK Friends of Abraham’s Path.

Click Here to read the Review of the Year or  2014 Annual Report & Accounts to download the full document.

PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT

UK Friends of Abraham’s Path provides information and educational materials to the public about routes of walking and pilgrimage in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean where the story of Abraham can be followed and about the contemporary significance of the Abrahamic story and in this way complies with its duty as set out in section 4 of the 2006 Charities Act. In 2014, we did this through:

• leading a UK Friends journey with community service in the north of Jordan (May)
• leading a walking tour in East London of places of Abrahamic significance (April)
• supporting a second volunteering and walking tour in Israel and Palestine for university students from Leeds Beckett University (June)
• providing sponsorship and information to participants of the Limmud Festival (August)
• organising a talk and celebration of the Path and of Middle Eastern culture in Leeds to help students and others engage with some of the challenges of developing a trail and of walking in the Middle East and to reach new potential supporters and walkers
• developing a new public website to disseminate information about the Path and offer opportunities for people in the UK to talk to walkers
• helping to develop and disseminate a survey of people who have walked the Path to gather information about their experiences and what is important to walkers
• continuing to distribute information via social media
• research into potential funding sources for our work and for the development of the Path

We are planning a walk in the Negev, along the recently scouted and mapped Highand Route. Here is the proposed itinerary: Negev highland walk for UK Friends Please drop an email to info@abrahampath.org.uk if you would like to register an interest.

On the coming Monday, we leave for the annual Abraham Path walk – this year from Dana (a nature reserve southwest of Amman) to Petra in Jordan.

I’m expecting our walk to be very special – and just a little bit scary. It will certainly be different to last year’s walk on the Al Alyoun Trail in the gentle greenery of northern Jordan.

The 5-day Dana to Petra trek is a part of Abraham Path and the Jordan trail and was rated as one of the world’s best hikes by National Geographic. The hike crosses spectacular scenery in southern Jordan, allowing us to experience the hospitality of the Bedouin and the heritage of the wild desert, and ends with walking into Petra, one of the seven new world wonders.

It has been explored and mapped recently by Experience Jordan in collaboration with the Abraham Path Initiative (API) and I am joining the other directors of the API to be among the first to walk it.  We have been told it is a spectacular addition to other sections of the path in Jordan and connects some of the most beautiful places of natural and cultural heritage.

I promised the UK Friends a 2015 Walk. This may be it – but I want to check it for myself first. Our itinerary will be quite demanding and we have been warned that only fit, experienced multi-day hikers should be taking part. Let’s hope I match up to it.  If it goes well, expect to hear from me encouraging you to join me for a re-visit.

The Itinerary: 

Day 1: Transfer to Dana.  Overnight in Dana Guest House.

Day 2: Hike from Dana to Feynan. Overnight in Feynan Eco-Lodge

Day 3: Drive from Feynan to Ras Al-Feid and hike to Gbour Whedat. Overnight camping in the wilderness.

Day 4: Hike from Gbour Whedat to Little Petra. Overnight camping in wilderness in an area called the West Mo’esrah.

Day 5: Hike from Little Petra to Petra. Dinner in a local family house – overnight in Movenpick!

Day 6: Hike in Petra, and transfer to Amman.

For those who would like to know more, you can find maps, elevation tables and more inspiration at http://abrahampath.org/path/dana/

To scale up operations and visibility in Europe, as well as help sustain the path in the Middle East, the Abraham Path Initiative is looking for a Fundraising Consultant to be based in the Netherlands who will start and co-lead fundraising efforts in Europe. The position requires significant fundraising experience, most prominently with philanthropic institutions such as foundations and at the governmental and inter-governmental (EU) level in Europe. Preferably, he/she also has expertise in the area of (major) individual gifts & pan-European philanthropy. He or she will work directly with API’s Executive Director (ED) in Rotterdam.

If you, or someone you know, might be interested – follow this link:

http://abrahampath.org/get-involved/jobs-and-volunteer-opportunities/fundraising-consultant/