The Sinai Peninsula is not just a front of clashes between the Egyptian army and militant groups. Sinai is also a place with a rich culture and heritage that is reflected in the costumes of its people. The attire of Bedouin women in Sinai now provides a source of income for women, as the modern creations with traditional embroidery styles are popular with tourists.

Amani Ghareeb sensed the threat to the Bedouin culture and heritage when she inherited from her grandparents traditional Sinai attire. In 2010, she founded Fayrouz Association that assists in the establishment of small projects that help Bedouin women in Sinai make a living. Ghareeb launched the Motiva Sinawi project in order to preserve and develop Bedouin clothing. 

Ghareeb told Al-Monitor, “The Motiva Sinawi project aims at developing the [traditional] attire of Sinai. A motiva is a [traditional] Sinai ornament. The idea is to embroider motivas on modern clothes, so that fashionable clothes get a traditional touch. We had to come up with different designs of the Sinai costumes as it should not be restricted to abayas, shawls or burqas.”

Ghareeb said that her project employs roughly 300 girls and women, and that it has become a source of income to the women in Sinai. “It is a source of income that does not require working in a workplace at set times. The women can work from home," she said.