A little slice of the Middle East is coming to Dorset this summer - with visitors given the chance to sip Arabic coffee in an authentic Bedouin tent of the type TE Lawrence would have spent time in.

The diplomat, military officer and Arabist - also known as Lawrence of Arabia - lived at Clouds Hill near Bovington in the final years of his life, and this summer, the National Trust-run property is installing an authentic tent used by the Bedouin people, alongside whom Lawrence lived and fought for several years during and after the First World War.

Visitors will be offered dates and Arabic coffee in the tent, which was made especially by the Bedouin Howeitat tribe in Wadi Rum in Jordan. The tribe fought with Lawrence during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule during the war.

The tent was shipped over to Dorset by Clouds Hill volunteer Theresa Jenkins-Teague through her contacts at the British Embassy in Amman.

Ms Jenkins-Teague - who lives for part of each year in Saudi Arabia - will be offering traditional Arabic hospitality in the tent every Thursday afternoon this summer.

"Tents like this one are used for socialising and hospitality, and for protection from the heat of the day," Ms Jenkins-Teague explained. "Lawrence spent a lot of time in tents like this and the simple lifestyle of the Howeitat appealed to his own simple tastes.

"He designed the cottage here at Clouds Hill to provide the same basic comforts and he invited his many friends here to sample his hospitality.’

She added her hope that her own hospitality would give visitors a deeper insight into Lawrence - and revealed she is planning further special events to mark the 130 years since Lawrence's birth on Thursday, August 16.

Usual admission charges apply to the National Trust property.

As reported, meanwhile, a new film is in the pipeline, focusing on Lawrence's last years - and his death in a motorcycle crash near Clouds Hill in 1935.

The film - provisionally titled Lawrence: After Arabia - is still in the casting and location-scouting stage, with production company Gryffyn Productions planning visits to Clouds Hill and other potential shooting locations in Dorset next month.