Ramadan Abu Sayed's life has revolved around orchards since birth. The Bedouin from the Jabaleya tribe was born sixty some years ago in Wadi al-Arbain, a valley close to Saint Catherine, in South Sinai. His grandfather had moved there from a nearby valley, and it was in his new home that the family tradition of gardening took root.
The Monastery of the Forty Martyrs, or in Arabic Deir al-Arbain, has stood in the valley for centuries, and in modern times the Abu Sayed family has worked in the olive tree groves surrounding it. Abu Sayed's father, after spending most of his life in the orchards, decided to try his luck and cultivate his own garden, not far from the monastery.
