Gabel Elba Chains is the most importance mountain in the Eastern Desert .GEC is located in the southeast corner of the Eastern Desert and encompasses a total area of some 1,100 km². It is located between the longitudes 22°00'N - 22°17'N, and the latitudes 36°10'E - 36°35'E. This include Gabel EL shalal (1409 m),Gabel Ostriba (1000 m),Gabel shendeib (1911 m) , Gabel Sol Hamed & Gash Amer (599 m & 724 m),Gabel Hankoof (1430 m), Gabel Eic (1593 m) and Gabel Elba (1436 m) , the famous one in the whole area which it is regime occupied about 260 km2 .Along GE there is many wades penetrates it towards the eastward like wadi aedieb , yahmeb and wadi sara srmati .

One of the most prominent features of the area is Gabal Elba. Due its closeness to the sea and favourable position in the face of moisture-laden northeast winds, Gabal Elba enjoys a higher precipitation than the other Red Sea Mountains in the region. The summit of Gabal Elba is a "mist oasis" where a considerable part of precipitation is contributed in the form of dew or mist and clouds, creating a unique and rare ecosystem, not found anywhere else in Egypt.

Gabal Elba is a “biodiversity hotspot” supporting a biological diversity unparalleled in any other terrestrial environment in Egypt. Many Afrotropical elements have their northern limits at Gabal Elba. The relative abundance of moisture allows a diverse flora to exist; some 458 plant species are known from Gabel Elba, representing almost 25% of plant species recorded in the country. On and at the base of the mountain there is dense cover of acacias and other scrubs which is the only natural woodland in Egypt.

1- the Basharia

this tribe is the predominant group in the area. It is then worth to introduce them first, considering that the two groups share many characteristics. The Basharia are a branch of the Beja5, who claimed to descend from Kush the son of Ham. The Beja moved from the Arabian Peninsula to Sudan after the Deluge and they settled in Africa between the Nile and the Red Sea. They can be found in South-Eastern Egypt, in Eastern Sudan and South to Eritrea. The Basharia descend from the Beja who settled in Gabel Elba. According to their oral tradition, their ancestor was Bashar ibn Kahil from whom they took the name. Basharia are divided in two main sub-groups the Um Ali and the Um Nagi. The first division is mainly in the North of the Beja territory, which means that the Basharia in the South of Egypt are mainly Um Ali. The second division is present mainly in the South6. Um Ali is then divided in four main sub-groups: the Aliab, the Hamadorab, the Amrab and the Shantirab. Um Nagi is divided into seven sub-groups: the Mansurab, Nafaab, Eiraiab, Mohammeditab, Hamadab, Ibrahimab and Weilaliab. Aliab and Hamadorab from the Um Ali branch are the local inhabitants of Shalateen, Abu Ramad and Hala’ib. As it concerns their language, the Basharia speak their own language called Bedawit or Rotana. They also speak Arabic, but they prefer to use their language among themselves.

the Ababda.
They probably descend from the Beja but they prefer to have their own history. According to the Sheikh, in fact, they do not descend from the Beja but certainly they are closely related. The oral tradition reports that they arrived in Egypt from Saudi Arabia following their leader el-Zuber ibn el-Awa’am. They inhabit the area that goes from Aswan to Qena to the Red Sea. They are divided in four main groups: Ashabab, Malikab, Aboudine and Gamiliyya. Their language is Arabic, Egyptian dialect.

Rashayda
Are pastoral nomads who were kicked out from Saudi Arabia in 1846. They arrived in Sudan and then spread also to the South of Egypt. As mentioned before some 200 – 300 families live outside Shalateen. Their presence in the area is linked to the profitable camel trade, they control. They cannot be considered a single unified community; their only relationship with the neighbors is related to trade. They speak a Sudanese Arabic dialect. More details about the Rashayda are presented in chapter two.


Source: Areport on Preliminary Study of the Local Communities in Elba Protected Area.2003,EIECP,Cairo

The geographic area inhabited by Ababda, Basharia covers 35,600 sq.Km. Inside this wide territory, communities are distributed as showed in the attached map. The main settlements are: Sararat Sarmatai, ‘Oudib, Aquamatri, Yahmib, Kash Omir, Sol Hamed, Sarara Ousir, Shallal, Do’eb, Mesah, Adal Dib, Ba’enit, Aiqat, el-Arqa, Hoden, Abu Safa, Abraq, Omrit, Frokit, Lasela, el-Garf, War Bid. Ababda, Basharia, Rashayda and people from the Nile Valley live together in the main towns (Shalateen, Abu Ramad, Hala’ib, Hemira and Hadarba). However, Basharia are concentrated in the Southeast part of the area, while Ababda are mainly present in the Northwest part and Rashayda outside Shalateen. What should be outlined here is that approximately 4,000 people are settled, while 3,000 semi-nomads move inside and outside the Protected Area according to traditional and survival activities, i.e. trade, grazing, charcoal and water collection and visiting relatives. Movements towards outside mainly depend on trade. People move back and forth to Sudan, to Aswan and to Quseira. Basharia go mainly to Sudan, while Ababda move West and North. Movements inside the Protected Area happen at random according to the rainwater and the grazing routes.

Gabel Elba PA falls within Egypt’s largest and most important protected area, the Elba Protected Area (PA), which encompasses some 35 600 km2. It is located between the longitudes 22°00'N - 23°50'N, and the latitudes 35°00'E - 37°00'E. The study area northern boundaries extend more than 50 km north of Shalateen town, and the southern border extend about 100 km a long the international Egypt-border between Egypt and Sudan.

It contains an enormous variety of habitats and landscape features, ranging from coral reefs to mountain habitats, and supports a rich flora and fauna. There are at least 27 species of mammals, 38 species of reptiles and amphibians, and some 60 species of breeding birds. One of the most prominent features of the area is Gebel Elba (Elba Mountain). Due its closeness to the sea and its interception of moisture-laden north-east winds, Gebel Elba enjoys a higher precipitation than other Red Sea Mountains.

Indeed, Gebel Elba is a “biodiversity hotspot”, with a biological diversity unparalleled in any other terrestrial environment in Egypt. The relative abundance of moisture supports a diverse flora of some 458 plant species – almost 25% of plant species recorded for the entire country. Many Afro-tropical elements have their northern limits at Gebel Elba, and the dense cover of acacias and other scrubs represents the only natural woodland in Egypt.

Gabel Elba region as a southern border of GEPA with its geographic location and its natural resources not only represent an important biological hotspot but also as a cultural and economic corridor between North Africa and Egypt. From thousands years, there is a continuous interaction between the biological diversity and local people across the border of the Egypt and Sudan. As a critical part for this study to understand the complex situation of causes and vector of invasion of mesquite

The Local people in the study area.

There are three main tribes residing in the Elba PA: the Bisharia, Ababda and Rashayda; the former two are indigenous to the area.

The Bisharia are the largest tribe in the GEPA. This tribe’s territory includes Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, the majority are found in the Sudan. The Bisharia are a sedentary to semi-nomadic peoples of Hamatic descent speaking an unwritten language, “Beja”. The Bisharia occupy the southern sections of the PA including the vicinity of Gabel Elba. Populations in the park are subject to continuous fluctuations and movements dependent upon the seasonal availability of rangeland, including movements between Egypt and Sudan.

The Ababda are an indigenous tribe to the southern Eastern Desert, predominately found in the northern sections of the PA. Their territory is mainly north of Shalatein to Quseir as far west as the Nile Valley, with small numbers found south to Sudan. Like the Bisharia, they are a sedentary to semi-nomadic people subject to seasonal movements. They are known to coexist and maintain good relations with the Bisharia.

The Rashayda are non-indigenous tribe inhabiting the coastal plain. Originally, from Saudi Arabia, the tribe was expelled in 1846 and settled along the Red Sea coast of Sudan south to Eritrea. Families from the Rashayda tribe were residing in the Halaib when Egypt took over the administration of the area. The Rashayda are more affluent than Bisharia and Ababda tribes playing a pivotal role in the camel trade and other trade between Egypt and Sudan.

Social-Economic Context

The main socio-economic activities of the local tribes are livestock herding and charcoal production. There is some limited trade in other natural products, such as honey and wild plants sold as remedial medicines, as well as handicrafts. In the coastal communities there are commercial enterprises, including trade between the Sudan and Egypt. This is mainly engaged in by Egyptians and the Rashayda.