Who are the Negev Bedouin? How does a nomadic desert culture adapt to city life? And how have Israel's policies of forced urbanisation impacted the indigenous Bedouin population? This is the story of the Bedouin tribes of the Negev Desert.

In 2022, I visited Bir Hadaj, a traditional Bedouin community in the Negev, or Naqab, desert. It stands in stark contrast with the way of life in the urbanised Bedouin city of Rahat; the world's larges Bedouin city. Israeli government policies, and a process of forced relocation from the desert to governmentplanned urban settlements, have reshaped the identity of this indigenous population, and dramatically impacted the Bedouin way of life. Through interviews with local Bedouin, you'll hear how their culture has been adapting to restrictions that have been imposed upon them in their ancestral land.

Key moments:
Bir Hadaj: a Bedouin village in the Negev Desert
Visiting Rahat, the largest Bedouin city in the world.
Interviews with Bedouin locals discussing forced urbanisation, displacement, and Bedouin culture.



00:0001:35 The Negev Bedouin: Introduction
01:3603:07 Visiting Bir Hadaj | A Rural Bedouin Community
03:0804:15 Basics of Bedouin Culture
04:1606:13 Many Bedouin Homes are not Connected to Electricity or Water
06:1407:20 Sharing a Meal in a Bedouin Village
07:2111:41 History of the Negev Bedouin
11:4213:25 Rahat: The World's Largest Bedouin City
13:2615:40 How a Nomadic Culture Adapts to City Life
15:4118:12 Bedouin Displacement & Forced Urbanisation
18:1320:46 Bedouin Law & Neglect by the State
20:4622:24 Conclusion | Bedouins Forced to the City

#bedouin #indigenouspeople #negev #middleeast #nomads #indigenousculture