18 August 2026 · 4 min read
A night with the Bedouin at Abusir
Fire, tea, bread baked in the sand, and the Fifth Dynasty pyramids as the only skyline.
Abusir is fifteen minutes south of Giza and almost nobody goes. The pyramids there are smaller and half-collapsed, which is exactly why the desert around them is quiet enough to sleep in.
We arrive in the late afternoon, walk the site as the light goes orange, and then our Bedouin hosts have the fire going. Tea first, always. Then bread pressed into the embers, chicken or vegetables cooked slowly, and dates. Nobody checks their phone because there is no signal.
You sleep in a tent or, if you prefer, outside under blankets. In the morning we are at the sun temple of Abu Gorab as the sun comes over the ridge. It is the last morning of the Sacred Egypt itinerary and most guests say it is the best one.
