This is an inspirational documentary about a young Muslim woman, trained as an anthropologist, who suffered hardship and professional censure to save a desert tribe from becoming extinct in the harsh Sahara. The Bishari tribe had lived in the Sahara for 5,000 years, but were unknown to Egyptian authorities. The Bishari were living in a time warp, their warriors believing they were still the guardians of the ancient Roman gold mines. When the Aswan Dam was constructed, the Bishari’s grazing ground became submerged.

Anthropologist Shahira Fawzy discovered them by chance, suffering from illness and malnutrition. Going against the wishes of her traditional family, Shahira went to live among the Bishari. She studied their customs, fought the government bureaucracy on their behalf, and helped them develop skills such as irrigation, well digging and gardening. Her aim was to ensure that the tribe would maintain its unique culture while surviving in the modern world. Here is a documentary so exotic and fascinating that it has the aura of fiction.