From 2003 to 2005 the community of Wadi el-Naam collaborated with architects from the environmental justice organisation Bustan on a construction that would assert Bedouin rights to build on their ancestral lands and receive equal services. Over 500 volunteers came together to learn and apply sustainable building techniques, constructing a low-cost straw-bale building powered by a solar panel and surrounded by a medicinal herb garden. In its first phase the building acted as a health centre; now it is taking on a new role as a heritage centre highlighting current applications for traditional Bedouin self-sufficiency skills.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture