Buildings were always built away from the water course and often located at elevated points. There are usually a number of buildings spread around: some were built inside the garden or next to the garden wall, others a bit further away. They are constructed of rocks and stones, often incorporating natural features such as caves or big boulders, and were used as rooms, store rooms and wind shelters. Buildings for winter were made with earth for binding rocks and a roof from canes or palm leaves was constructed, supported by logs and covered with sand. There are often many small windows to make rooms well ventilated and cool in summer, and many shelves were built in the stone walls adding a beautiful character.

El Fresh – meaning little basin – is also called Farsh Abu Aluan, the basin of the Aluan family. The sole garden is located in a secluded basin, totally cut off from the outside world, yet close to the village and very easy to reach. It is an oasis in a granite arena, surrounded by high peaks and a lunar landscape. In the garden, built in the only drainage way of the basin and protected from floods by a massive stone wall, there are two wells, an old rock water pool for irrigation and recreational use, shady fruit trees, date palms and an ancient stone house. There are two more stone huts outside the garden on ridges, with spectacular views down to a long valley with a river of green gardens on one side and the distant peak of Mt. Sinai on the other. There are also a number of stone shelters under boulders, an old store room in a walled up cave and an ancient stone irrigation system connecting a distant well to the garden.

El Freish was built as a perfect eco lodge, using locally available materials and based on age old traditions and extensive knowledge of the environment. It was planned to be very water efficient to sustain an orchard and garden, provide water for animals and support a family. Organic produce is still grown locally and used for cooking, providing a more nutritious diet while helping to cut down on the amount of waste. There is no electricity only candles, campfire and the stars. It only needed little improvements in line with these traditions: adequate cooking facilities, showers and composting toilets. The ancient stone building, designed in a practical way with full of characters, is a master piece of true workmanship and the strucure remains unchanged. Only the roof, windows and doors will be repaired and the two guest rooms furnished. Two traditional Bedouin tents are erected, one for guests staying overnight, the other, in another area of the garden, serving as the maqad, the meeting place. There are also a number of sitting places, called arisha, covered with cane and palm leaves. Fire wood, organized through the National Park, is not coming from protected areas. Water from kitchen and showers are reused to irrigate cane and trees. Local handcrafts are used to furnish the interiors.

El Freish reveals a different world and people are encouraged to venture even further. It is a very convenient starting point to visit and discover the rest of the mountains. There are many other gardens in the high mountains, each with its own individual character, and they all are essentially small eco lodges offering beautiful nature retreats. They belong to different families and the initiative, on a higher level, is aimed at promoting the whole region and bringing benefit to the larger community. Garden tours are organized through Baraka-Gardens, showing visitors the best gardens with the possibility of staying at any of them. Furthermore work with camels and as a guide is allocated according to a tribal rotating system, called el dor, to make sure everybody can have a job. Operations are arranged through the Mountain Tours Office (Maktab Rahalat Gabaleya), a tourist company registered with Egyptian authorities since 1987 and run by the office of Sheikh Mousa.

The aim of the initiative is to bring work to garden owners and encourage people to further the upkeep of their gardens, while at the same time providing quiet retreats for those who want to experience the slow pace of life of the Bedouin and the silence and magic of the mountains and the desert.