|
A New Women's' Initiative Offers an Ethnic Breakfast in an Ottoman Fortress in the Ofakim Park |
|
|
Women from the surrounding towns and villages joined together for the project, and earned the nickname "the Mamas from the Patish Fortress". They offer tourists gourmet meals. About 25 women aged 35-65 joined together for this project, which gives them an income based on their cooking skills. Meals are served every Friday during February and March 2008 between 09:00 - 15:00, at the feet of the ancient fortress. The women present their food stalls dressed and decorated in the traditional garb of the different ethnic groups. One may choose a meal in a Kurdish, Yemenite, Moroccan, Tunisian or Karaite style, as well as other ethnic meals. The Patish (literally meaning hammer in Hebrew) Fortress was built during the Ottoman regime in 1894. It stands on a hill at the heart of the Ofakim Park, overlooking the expanses of the northern part of the Negev Desert. In recent years, the fortress was renovated by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (the Jewish National Fund), and hiking routes and picnic areas were set up around it. These days, the "Darom Adom" (Red South) Festival takes place in the area, and visitors are invited to come and observe the carpets of flowers that cover the area in an array of colors. To watch a video on the flowers around Ofakim:
|
|
