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The Largest Camel Market in the World
| While the car may have taken over from the camel as the preferred means of transport, the camel still has a special place in Bedouin culture. On the outskirts of Buraydah in Al-Qassim you'll find a working camel market with plenty to sell |
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At the Buraydah Camel Market the action starts around 6 in the morning with camels, sheep and goats being put to auction.
There are also stalls selling local leather goods like bridles, halters and saddles or woven goods such as blankets. But it's all over by 10am, so you'll want to get there early.
The Arabic name for a camel, 'Ata Allah', means God's gift. The scientific name is Camelus dromedarius, but it's from the Arabic word for beautiful, 'jamal', that the English name is derived.
The Arabian camel is specifically the 'one-hump' dromedary. They were domesticated thousands of years ago by frankincense traders, who trained them to make the long journey from southern Arabia to the northern regions of the Middle East.
Historically they were the main source of transport; a loyal friend in the desert; a sturdy worker; a cool and shady spot to lean; a reliable supply of milk and, eventually, a supply of food and leather.
They are an intrinsic part of Bedouin culture, from a time when a man could be judged by the quantity and condition of his camels, and as such, the subject of much poetic contemplation:
"So soothing to my soul is the smooth riding on a fine camel; singing in the saddle relieves my mind.
Hail, riders on the swift coursing mounts, those graceful thoroughbreds with fancy saddles.
When you leave at early dawn, take with you my fervent verses.
Your stout mounts are not weakened by your distant journeying they are spirited wild beasts which were startled by their own shadows.
Beautiful are the girth marks on their flanks; they rest only when they halt to drink from wells on the way.
Their hooves scarcely touch the rugged road; they run like ostriches frightened by the sight of hunters.
They will bring you to a noble man who welcomes hungry guests to lavish fests.
Oh my brother, you are the spring season to weary riders whose mounts are jaded from long journeys; you give them sweet sustenance.
Your coffee pots are black as ravens; they are constantly boiling beside your blazing hearth.
What keeps you away, O brother, from the verdant pastures? Only base men live on subsidies.
Noble men live by the sword; your thunderous voice chasing enemy mares still rings sweet in my ears."
By Dicir, bint al-Waji: Translated by Saad Abdullah Sowayan.
Today camels are highly valued as thoroughbred racing animals and as sentimental reminders of a shared past. They are unique in the mammal world, in that they are able to raise their body temperatures tolerance level as much as 6 degrees before perspiring, which helps the animal to conserve its body fluids and avoid unnecessary water loss. It means that the camel's body temperature is often lower than the air temperature - a group of resting camels will even avoid excessive heat by pressing against each other.
Contrary to popular belief, they don't store water in their humps - it's a mound of fatty tissue from which the animal draws energy when food is hard to find. When a camel uses its hump fat for sustenance, the mound becomes flabby and shrinks. A camel can last between 5-7 days without food, but if it does, the lump will shrink and flop from its upright position and hang down the camel's side. Food and a few days' rest will return the hump to its normal firm condition.
Camels come in every shade from cream to almost black and they are popularly classified as Majaheem, Wadheh, Shual, Sefr, Shaqh and Rumr. Their ears are small and lined with fur to filter out sand and dust blowing into the ear canal. Their large, doe-like eyes are protected by a double row of long curly eyelashes that also help keep out sand and dust, while thick bushy eyebrows shield the eyes from the desert sun.
A fully-grown adult camel stands 1.85m/6 feet at the shoulder and 2.15m/7 feet at the hump.
The best camel meat comes from young male camels - the taste is not unlike beef. Camel's milk is lower in fat and lactose than cow's milk, and higher in potassium, iron and Vitamin C.
Normal 'amble speed' for a walking camel is 5kph/3mph; a working camel will typically cover 40km/25 miles a day. Racing camels can reach 20kph/12mph at the gallop.
Camels need very little water if their regular diet contains good, moisture-rich pasture. Although camels can withstand severe dehydration, a large animal can drink as much as 100 litres/21 gallons in ten minutes. Such an amount would kill another mammal, but the camel's unique metabolism enables the animal to store the water in its bloodstream.
When purchasing a camel, an astute buyer will consider the health, beauty of head, eyes, cheek-bones, legs, humps, and general disposition. A champion camel can worth hundreds of thousands of Saudi Riyals. |
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