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Hajja Amiriya doesn’t know how old she is. Back in the day when she was born, there was no record-keeping of birth dates (if that’s any indication of her age). One of her older sons estimated she was probably 75 when we met. The deep and beautiful wrinkles on her face certainly confirmed the estimate, but her child-like smile begged to differ.
Born and raised in the Bedouin culture of Saint Catherine, Egypt, Hajja Amiriya, also known as Um Saad, defied all odds to build her own personal legacy, carved literally and figuratively by her own hands in the heart of the Sinai mountains.
It takes around two hours to hike from Saint Catherine to where Hajja Amiriya is. With her cigarette rolled in her hand, Hajja Amiriya shared how her greatest joy in life was to build a few guest rooms in the remote parts of the mountain valley to host travelers and passersby. It was her life’s dream, and she had seen it come true some 12 years ago. “This was all a mountain,” she pointed proudly to the guest room where we were sitting. The rooms were simple, and their beauty lied in their simplicity. They provided basic shelter for anyone in need of shade or a place to spend the night.
When she built this place, she wasn’t thinking about making money out of it. “If I were doing this for money, it wouldn’t have worked,” she said with a matter-of-fact certainty. “I dreamt of leaving behind a legacy. I wanted to do something for myself and to give people joy from it.” Hajja Amiriya doesn’t ask for money when people come over to eat, drink, or stay.
As far as she is concerned, anyone is welcome to come and stay however long they’d like, and God will provide for them. It is clear, however, that the sustainability of her hospitality venture relies on the mutual generosity of the host and the guests, and oftentimes guests give with equally generous hearts.
Talking about her guests, Hajja Amiriya remarked that many of them cry when it’s time to leave. At first, she wasn’t sure why, but she said she realized it was the healing nature of the mountains. “They take love and energy from the mountain with them,” she explained.
These guest rooms were not Hajja Amiriya’s first attempt at starting her own thing. Years before, she started a project in Saint Catherine, but it did not last long. “When I failed, I suffered a lot mentally. My mind froze. I could barely walk. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t done anything for myself to leave behind as a memory.”
Her sorrow made her feel an urge for seclusion. “I thought I should be on my own to reclaim my mind,” she explained. It was then that she left Saint Catherine and went to live in the mountains.
The longer she stayed in the mountains, the more criticism heard from people, including her own children. “One of my daughters was saying, ‘My mom is just staying in the mountain while others are performing Pilgrimage and Umrah.’” Hajja Amiriya felt hurt, but she says the mountain helped her heal, clear her mind, and eventually get the idea to build guest rooms there.
“My sons were telling me I’d gotten old,” Hajja Amiriya said, explaining how she didn’t get much support in the beginning, but she was still determined to carve out the rooms and build a memory “for anyone who comes and stays in their shade.” It took her years to finish building the rooms. At first, she started the project herself, then her sons were able to help her complete it.
The idea of a woman living in seclusion in the mountains can be scary for many, but not for Hajja Amiriya. “The mountain protects me. Everything around here is protecting me,” she explained.
She has great faith and love for the mountain valley, and she makes it a point to greet it every day and night as a real being. Despite how often people urge her to go back to Saint Catherine, especially considering her old age, she is firm on staying. She strongly believes that it’s her duty to stay there, and in fact, protect the mountain. “The happiness that I get, I can only find here.”
Hajja Amiriya has three sons and five daughters. All her daughters have finished their education, gotten married, and have children of their own. “The moment they got married, I felt free to do what I wanted. I wanted to show my girls how I did something in this life. I wanted to show them who their mom had become and what she made of herself. She became like the men! Who goes carving the mountain and building there! I am not weak.”
Even though Amiriya described the work she had done as more befitting of men, she went on to share how many of the men around her would not want to do what she did. “Men tell me, ‘God gave you strength,’ and I say, ‘No, those who want to do something, do it.’”
“When I hear that people go through the effort and expense just to get here, I sleep as if I’m sleeping on silk. People from Egypt and outside of Egypt,” she said smiling.
It’s been over a decade since she started her hospitality venture yet for Amiriya, the years went by so fast she hasn’t noticed. “Right now, I’m at my peak happiness knowing that if I die, I’ve done something with my life,” she said.
Hajja Amiriya defied all odds and through her determination, she made a legacy of her own. Her life example challenges the stereotypical perspective of Bedouin women. Quite frankly, Bedouin women, especially older ones, are hardly mentioned as pioneers in the feminist rhetoric. As a matter of fact, they’re hardly mentioned. Period. And if portrayed, it’s nothing like the picture of Hajja Amiriya. But Hajja Amirya is real and her legacy is just as real – she made sure of it.
