In this March 30, 2019 photo, Umm Yasser, center, leads women on a trek in the mountains, near Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. Umm Yasser is breaking new ground among the deeply conservative Bedouin of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Women among the Bedouin almost never work outside the home, and even more rarely do they interact with outsiders. But Umm Yasser is one of four women from the community who for the first time are working as tour guides. “It is against our culture, but women need jobs”, the 47-year-old Umm Yasser said. “People will make fun of us, but I don't care. I'm a strong woman”. They are part of Sinai Trail, a unique project in which local Bedouin tribes came together aiming to develop their own tourism. Founded in 2015, the project has set up a 550-kilometer (330-mile) trail through the remote mountains of the peninsula, a42-day trek through the lands of eight different tribes, each of which contributes guides. The project has been successful in bringing some income to the tribes, who often complain of being left out of the major tourism development of the southern Sinai, home to beach resorts and desert safaris. Until now, all the project's guides were men. There are some conditions. The tourists can only be women, and the tours can't go overnight. Each day before the sun sets, the group returns to the Hamada's home village in Wadi Sahu, a narrow desert valley. The organizers also urge the tourists to photograph the guides only when they are wearing a full veil over the face that covers even the eyes with mesh. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 30, 2019 photo, Umm Yasser, the first Bedouin female guide from the Hamada tribe, looks at Umm Soliman as she plays the flute, near Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. Umm Yasser is breaking new ground among the deeply conservative Bedouin of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Women among the Bedouin almost never work outside the home, and even more rarely do they interact with outsiders. But Umm Yasser is one of four women from the community who for the first time are working as tour guides. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 29, 2019 photo, a Bedouin girl holds plants she picked for her mother in the mountains near Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. Four Bedouin women are for the first time leading tours in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, breaking new ground in their deeply conservative community, where women almost never work outside the home or interact with outsiders. The guides talk about the local plants and herbs, the history and legends of the area and point out the borders of the area’s tribes. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 30, 2019 photo, women eat in Umm Yasser's home in Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 30, 2019 photo, Julie Patterson, a Sinai Trail trip officer rests with guide Umm Yasser, on a trek in the mountains, near Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 29, 2019 photo, Zahra looks at Yolanda the baby goat in Umm Yasser's home, in Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 31, 2019 photo, an Egyptian student borrows a Bedouin wedding dress to pose for a photograph with Bedouin men from the Hamada tribe, in Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. Four Bedouin women are for the first time leading tours in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, breaking new ground in their deeply conservative community, where women almost never work outside the home or interact with outsiders. The tourists can only be women, and the tours can’t go overnight. Each day before the sun sets, the group returns to the Hamada’s home village in Wadi Sahu, a narrow desert valley. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 29, 2019 photo, Umm Yasser poses for a photograph on a trek in the mountains near Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 30, 2019 photo, shows remains of a car used to as a base for shelter in Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, in South Sinai, Egypt. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)





In this March 31, 2019 photo, Umm Yasser, the first female Bedouin guide from the Hamada tribe, poses for a photograph in her home in Wadi Sahw, Abu Zenima, South Sinai, Egypt. (Photo by Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo)