Wadi Sabarah

GO ON A BOTANICAL JOURNEY

DISCOVER FASCINATING FLORA OF THE DESERT

THE GARDENS: OUR VISION
AND HOW IT STARTED

About 2000 plants of over 40 desert species are growing in our wadi bed. Irina’s gardens will guide you through Egypt’s wild flora where almost every plant has economic value supporting the life of the local nomads inhabiting the Egyptian deserts. A project dear to our hearts, this garden started in 2017 in cooperation with Dr. Irina Springuel, former professor at the Aswan University, who resides most of the year at the premises of Wadi Sabarah. Dr. Irina’s efforts to collect seeds from the desert and tapping into her network of desert lovers has led to her second garden here at Wadi Sabarah. Most plants in this garden have been used in traditional medicine and its dry specimen is sold in herbal shops.

More information & resources on this project is constantly being added. We hope this will soon become your extensive desert flora guide.

MEET DR IRINA Springuel

PROFESSOR, BOTANIST
& VISIONARY

 

With over 50 years working in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, Irina Springuel originally moved to Egypt from what was then The Soviet Union. She graduated from Leningrad State University and continued her post graduate studies in Egypt. Her Ph.D. research work on the First Cataract Islands near Aswan led to their declaration as protectorate in 1986, conserving these unique habitats. 

She has worked on numerous projects to preserve Egypt’s Natural heritage including the Wadi Allaqui Biosphere. You can find her published book “The Desert Garden” (ISBN 977-416,021-5) at our library and in bookshops.

Prof. Irina will tell you that her biggest achievement is not her preservation efforts, books or the countless publications she wrote. It’s her investment in her students who today have spread across Egypt and the Middle East drawing attention and working to protect the fragile desert environment. 

She will be happy to guide you through the garden herself whenever she is at the lodge, or you can take a self guided tour by following her written manual on the signboards in the garden.

Play Video

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Growing indigenous plants, many of which are threatened species, would create small islands of wildlife, contributing to biodiversity protection in Egypt. A good example of a small wildlife paradise is the unique desert garden in Wadi Sabarah.

"

Dr. Irina Springuel

Watch Dr Irina at the sabarah gardens →

Play Video

“Dear guests, I will take a moment to tell you about our desert gardens and show you the most significant plants that can be seen on your safari desert trip. 


Here one can find themselves in the rebuilt remains of a desert forest that was once common but can now only be found in Gabal Elba. It has become even harder to visit one of these forests in their full form because it requires permission that, as of recently, is rarely given.” — Irina

TAKE A WALK IN THE DESERT GARDENS

VISIT OUR GARDENS FOR
A TOUR WITH DR.IRINA OR USE THE
QR CODES ON-SITE FOR A GUIDED WALK

TAP ON A PLANT SPECIES BELOW TO VIEW ITS GARDEN GUIDE

VISIT OUR GARDENS FOR
A TOUR WITH DR.IRINA OR USE THE QR CODES ON-SITE FOR A GUIDED WALK

TAP ON A PLANT SPECIES BELOW TO VIEW its GARDEN GUIDE

TAP ON A PLANT SPECIES TO VIEW its GARDEN GUIDE

FURTHER READING:

THE DESERT
GARDEN —

A BOOK by
DR. IRINA

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Despite their dry climates, Egypt’s deserts sustain a rich variety of plant life, from towering doum palm trees to the tamarisk shrub and flowering acacias. With this practical guide, noted ecologist Irina Springuel explains the best techniques for cultivating gardens using species indigenous to Egypt. The Desert Garden outlines Egypt’s natural vegetation and describes the habitats where its most popular plants can be found in the wild. She provides guidance on where to obtain the plant material for propagation and cultivation, drawing on her decades of experience in growing local desert plants. Springuel focuses on thirty-eight of the most popular species of desert flora, illustrating each with color photographs and black and white drawings.

Purchase a copy of Dr. Irina’s book on your next visit to Wadi Sabarah, or online at AUC PRESS, AMAZON and ABE books.

✺ FASCINATING HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR GARDENS ✺

Acacia ehrenbergiana

How a resilient tree helps build bedouin communities: The secrets of the Acacia tree

Acacia trees form a principal element of desert plant communities in Egypt’s South Eastern Desert. Because of slow growth, grazing adversely influences the seedlings more than the mature trees. Very often plants stay in dwarf form waiting the fortune of the rain. As soon as favourable conditions come, they grow quickly. Permanent trees act as the main drought reserve for grazing stock. Bedouins can rely on the beloved Acacia tree as a stable source of food, a shade structure & a survival pillar for many desert settlers. There are several species of Acacia, each one has several uses & the bedouin community has learned the many secrets of the tree & benefit from it greatly.

 ⁠— Excerpt from Dr. Irina’s book “The Desert Garden”:

Known as Salam or Selem in Arabic, the Acacia E. tree is the most drought resistant of the Acacias growing in Egypt. An excellent plant for fuel because it produces more heat and is slower in burning than other acacias. It is especially good for preparing “gabana”, the traditional Bedouin coffee. Its leaves & small branches are very nutritious, so it is important as fodder for livestock. Since it usually grows as a shrub, animals can easily reach the soft parts of the plant. The staff, which is an essential part of the bedouin’s equipment, is almost always made from the slender straight twigs of the Acacia.

Learn more about different species of Acacia by visiting our gardens.

Calotropis procera

Known as "Oshar" in Arabic, this tree is found in abundance in our gardens. Its stem fiber is used by fisherman for nets & lines, and its latex is still used in traditional medicine & as an insecticide in several African countries.

Oshar is a small tree or even shrub with many names, our favourite  English name being the ‘Sodom apple’ or ‘apple of Sodom’ . Sodom is one of the two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. It gets its namesake from its fruit which look like apples but their milky sap is poisonous.

Salvadora persica

The wondrous Mustard tree known as "Miswak". Its uses include leaves for fodder, fruit as a sour snack & its young stems are the desert's most famous organic toothbrush.

Salvadora persica is well known by its name ‘the toothbrush tree’, with the Arabic name ‘Miswak’ or ‘Arak’. Named after its traditional use as a toothbrush for over 1000 years by Islamic populations & by the local Bedouins. It is now growing in popularity in the West as well. Toothbrushes are made from the roots and small branches. Its antimicrobial properties suppress bacterial growth and the formation of plaque. The tooth stick is also said to relieve toothache and gum disease.

solenostemma arghel

"Argel", the medicinal super-plant for your liver, kidneys, allergies & respiratory system

An evergreen shrub, Arghel or Hargel grows in sandy soil & can withstand long drought & high air temperatures. The leaves and small branches are commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of disorders of the liver, kidneys, and respiratory system. It is also used to treat allergies. This plant has ornamental value because of its beautiful and fragrant flowers, which attract bees and butterflies. The purplish-green fruits are very attractive. When the fruits ripen, they change colour to yellow or light brown, split apart & spread numerous seeds. The seeds are blown away by the wind and germinate in favourable habitats. This is a vulnerable species, being under threat because of intensive over-exploitation. It is most commonly found in the south of the Eastern desert and also grown in parts of sinai.  ⁠— Text from Dr. Irina’s book “The Desert Garden”.

DISCOVER THE DESERT: BEYOND AN ARID LANDSCAPE

SCIENCE & FLORA

Seed banks of the desert: how plants survive drought & dry seasons

Some of the most successful adapters to life in the desert are drought-escaping plants. Plants that wither and die during the dry seasons but not before completing their life cycle, keep their seeds covered by a thick protective coat. They are then dispersed, only to wait underground as part of the desert’s “seed bank”. Contained within their seed coats are certain chemicals that prohibit germination. Learn more about how desert seeds adapt by taking a walk through our garden or hopping on a botanical safari ride during your visit at the lodge. 

LIFE & FLORA

Bedouin herbalism: learning and adapting native knowledge

Ancestral knowledge is an important pillar of desert life and conservation. Many modern pharmaceutical products and home remedies are a direct or indirect adaptation of herbal knowledge passed on by the indigenous people of lands around the world. Their relationship with their surroundings is invaluable; from herbal medicine, crafts and artistic expression to building methods, materials & conservation efforts. We have much to learn from the indigenous people of the Eastern Desert in Egypt, we’ve set up our botanical gardens to share some of that knowledge which we hope you pass along.