‘Oh, Sycamore of Hermopolis, which gives me air from within itself,
I embrace the place at Hermopolis
If it flourishes, I flourish
If it lives, I live....’
The Book of the Dead
The Farm
Our ‘Farm’ consists of ‘five’ acres of olive groves’. The olive tree was indigenous in Egypt in ancient times, as depicted in one of the most beautiful pieces of Egyptian art which depicts an olive branch held by Akhenaten, this piece which is now kept in Berlin Museum was incidentally found in Tuna El-Gebel. It is now the image we use for our brand of olive oil.
In addition to our olive trees, we also have palm trees and groves dedicated to the sacred ‘sycamore tree’ that is now sadly threatened by extinction. The Sycamores we currently have are all named after donors who helped to support this project and the whole farm with all its trees will soon be on offer to anyone who is interested to become part of it.
Our farm serves as a model and training setting for local farmers with whom we are working very closely to increase their understanding of ‘sustainable desert agriculture practices’ and organic farming methods.
Several 'Collaborative Outreach Programmes’ are underway with a view of creating marketable food products. Also, the food we serve at our retreat is by and large inspired by Egypt’s traditional/rural cuisine and is prepared and served by trained women villagers.
Farm Restaurant
(Betaw بتاو)
This restaurant serves a ‘ heritage inspired & health-conscious cuisine’ with a focus on the ‘‘Culinary Tastes of Egypt’. . It is also planned to be a ‘space where gastronomy meets art’, not only through acknowledging the creative form of cooking and food making but also by offering a platform for’ local art groups ‘to show their work, be it interactive theatre, musical/dance performances, and art/film exhibitions