In the northern quarter of Dahab, 80km north of Sharm el
Sheikh, its winding streets are typical of these parts, with
thriving markets selling intricate handicrafts, the aroma
of coffee, shisha and spices in the air.
In recent years, tourists have
been drawn here by the colourful
coral reefs that line the coast, to
indulge in watersports and enjoy
the beautiful surroundings. As
a result, new developments now
sit alongside the traditional stone
structures that have stood here
for generations.
Yet, for the local Muzeina
Bedouin tribespeople who first
settled in these parts, life has
changed very little: hardy desert
shrubs are still used for food
and medicine; each family keeps
goats and sheep, which freely
roam the streets; at night, the
orange glow of open fires can
be seen crackling in the dark as
they bake flat bread and cook
chicken or fish. And, despite
the omnipresent hiss of water
sprinklers that can now be heard
DESERT OASIS
01
WaterStillar inventor Tom
Juul Andersen
02
Bedouin tribespeople
still live largely as they
always have done
03
The Bedouin village in
El Asalah
04
Clean, non-salty
water is essential for
making tea
05
Visitors often come to the
region for the diving
06
The WaterStillar
equipment being installed
in the village
keeping hotel gardens green, there still remains one
constant, long-endured challenge: finding clean drinking
water in these arid conditions.
Things, however, could be about to alter dramatically.
The villagers have recently been trialling a revolutionary
type of water-purification technology that could change
their lives forever. Described as a “multi-effect, solar-
powered distillation system”, WaterStillar uses solar
collectors to purify water from any source and it is, says
its inventor and patent-holder, Tom Juul Andersen, more
efficient than anything that has come before. With 2m
2
of
collectors, a single unit can distil between 50 and 60 litres
a day – that’s five times more than conventional stills and
02
THEBEDOUIN
VILLAGEOF
ELASALAH
ISPROBABLY
THEWORLD’S
MOSTUNLIKELY
TECHNOLOGY
FRONTIER.
01
