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Chapter 1, Guest and Daughter

• The Awlad 'Ali was a Bedouin community in western Egypt, in an arid, rural area south of the Mediterranean Sea.

• Lila, the author, was an anthropology graduate student studying Bedouin culture.

• From October 1978 to May 1980, she lived with the Awlad 'Ali tribe.

• During the time that Lila lived with the Awlad 'Ali, the tribe consisted of 53 adults and over 100 children.

• The largest family group had 25 people living in four rooms.

• Before this time, the Bedouins were nomadic, and the arrangement of their tents showed their relationships with one another.
• The central tent would belong to the senior kinsman, and the tent ropes of family members would cross.

• The Awlad 'Ali's land was purchased by the Egyptian government, who helped them build houses and plant trees.

• Therefore, most Bedouins now lived in houses.

• The book provides an overview of Lila's fieldwork.

• She came to Cairo...

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