Meet Aliya Nour: Citizen of the World, Living in Dahab
By: Laila Sherif Said
Born in Morocco to a Syrian mother and a British father, Allie Astell and her family have had their fair share of countries to have lived in.
Her father worked for the Foreign Office as a diplomat, and she owes her travel bug to him. Going by the name Aliya Nour, she now resides in Dahab with her Bedouin husband, Sofian Nour.
A media and communications graduate, she now runs a website-building business called Manage My Website, which is based in Dahab, Austin, Texas and the UK.
Tell me about the moment you knew you wanted to live in Dahab.
I knew it was a special place as soon as I got there for the first time in December 2007. The beauty of the scenery, the clear blue sea, the spectacular mountains and the desert, the neon and pastel sunsets and sunrises.
And, probably more importantly, the lovely people I met there. My first trip was for just one week yet it had already felt like home by the time I left.
I was itching to get back, but for various reasons, it was 3 years before I managed to, in January 2011 just before the Revolution. Believe it or not, some of the locals actually remembered me and called my name as I walked past. That meant a lot.
When and why did you first come to Egypt?
My first time was twice in 2006 – Sharm El Sheikh and Ras Sudr on two separate holidays. I first came because I’d heard so much about Egypt and Sinai. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
I discovered Dahab in 2007 by accident really, by Googling “sleepy fishing village South Sinai” as I was looking for something less built up and hectic than Sharm was at that time. There was far less on the Internet in those days – so I relied on the photos I saw and some of the write ups and headed over there. It sounded, and was, perfect in every way.
How is it like being married to a Bedouin?
At that point, 2013, I never expected to fall in love with and marry anyone at all to be honest – whatever their race or religion. When I moved to Egypt I was determined to be single for as long as possible and have some freedom for a few years.
However when I met my husband, 3 years after moving to Dahab, it was love at first sight – we got on like a house on fire (mainly because he bought my friend and I chocolate!), had the same sense of humour and our relationship flourished very quickly.
It really was out of the blue, but because I’d been single for so long and knew the culture very well, I knew this was a decision made from my mind as well as my heart.
There are a lot of successful mixed marriages and relationships in Dahab, so I wasn’t worried at all, although my family didn’t relax totally until they came to our wedding party in 2015 and saw how genuinely happy we were and still are.
They had concerns at first, and I don’t blame them for that at all.
Can you tell me more about your relationship, including cultural differences, similarities and compromises?
On the whole we have a very normal marriage and spend a lot of our time at home relaxing, listening to music and chatting. We laugh a lot, banter a lot, and are both crazy about our cat SimSim.
There are definitely cultural and religious differences, as I’m Christian and Western and of course my husband is Muslim and Bedouin, but they never really cause a problem as we both compromise as much as we can. I think we both know enough about each other’s personalities, cultures and traditions to allow each other as much respect as possible.
Mutual respect is hugely important from both sides as there’s no doubt that without it, any relationship, let alone a mixed one, won’t work.
What is life in Dahab like?
When I first lived in Dahab I went on lots of trips to the desert, St Catherine, Ras Mohammed, Nabq, went camel races, etc. and was always at the beach swimming and snorkelling.
Nowadays, my business has grown and I don’t get out as much due to work, but as I live by the beach it’s no great hardship as beauty is at my door 24/7.
In the evenings I love to meet my girlfriends, go out for dinner, and catch up. It’s a perfect life really.
I met my friends very organically – my first was an English woman who I met at the shop she worked at in Lighthouse.
She was my lifeline when I first arrived! Then I gradually met other foreign women as well as Bedouin and Egyptian families, all of whom are very special to me.
Being an expat abroad, a close-knit group of friends is very important. That includes the taxi drivers I choose to use, kids on the street, and some of the local shopkeepers, who are all also friends.
Dahab has a real communal spirit. One of my closest friends is a Bedouin lady called Samah who runs the Birds of Paradise Hadana – we work together to find volunteers to teach there, and to raise money for teaching materials:
What challenges do you face, as an expatriate living in Dahab?
Challenges are mainly the occasional power cut, which also means a water cut as we use a pump for our water tank, extremely hot summers, and a pretty bad internet connection a lot of the time that I have to manage.
Building websites isn’t always easy in that situation! I tend to use a mifi for emergencies though and that seems to do the trick.
I also had to get used to not being able to pick any old food recipe and be able to make it. Much of what we can buy is seasonal rather than imported but I think that’s a good thing ultimately. I love Middle Eastern and Egyptian food, and of course ingredients for those dishes are plentiful.
Dahab has taught me to appreciate the little things and to stop wasting money on things I don’t really need.
Of course cocktail bars and UK gastro pubs are also always appreciated when I go back to the UK!
The positives absolutely outweigh the negatives, though.
I’ve never lived anywhere what makes me so peaceful and content. Whatever happens in the future, Dahab will always be my happy place. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but there’s something very magical about it and my soul will always belong there.
Where do you suspect Dahab will be in five years? Investment-wise, living-wise, etc.?
Dahab has altered a lot since I moved there and it will continue to change and progress. I don’t think it will ever be the sleepy fishing village that I Googled all those years ago again, largely due to social media and the likes of Instagram. Egypt and the world have woken up to it.
What advice would you give those who want to leave everything behind and go live in Dahab now?
I would say do it now, before it’s too late. Dahab is a magical place, and you’ll love the life there, but who knows that’s around the corner? Make the most of it. But please take care, take your rubbish with you when you leave a local beauty spot, beach or the desert, and don’t tread on the coral.
We need to keep Dahab beautiful for future generations. I fear for the environment more than anything. I really wish I’d been there in the late 80s and early 90s to see it when it was simple camps on the beach. It must have been wonderful!
