ALI

Words by Israel Sher for @haaretz

“Ali Al-Wahashla is one of the last folk healers of the Bedouin society in the Negev״, says Nissim Krispil, a plant researcher and the author of The Ethno-botanical encyclopedia. In his garden —established as a part of the Wadi Atir project near Hura — Al-Wahashla cultivates 21 types of herbs whose use among the Bedouin of the Negev has been studied for centuries. Al-Wahashla is an ‘Aa׳tar’ (a man engaged in chemistry and brewing various substances in traditional Arab society) that produces extracts, ointments, soaps and dry herb mixtures to treat various ailments. Al-Wahashla’s products are sold under the project shop, whose main purpose is to preserve traditional knowledge of the desert nomads.