Friday 29 March 2013

Camel Train


 A lovely carving on a window looking out over the sand dunes of the desert, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.


Camels like to get up close and personal!  She has some gorgeous eye lashes.

Friday 22 March 2013

Camel Herdsmen

What attributes does it take to be a camel herdsmen?
It's a pretty solitary position, so you would probably be a rugged individualist.


You would have to have an affinity for camels, for sure.

 
You would need to be pretty tenacious.


You would need to be clever and understand camel language.


Physical strength is a must.


Perseverance definitely.


A sense of humor will take you far.


And above all...patience.


Al Gharbia, Western Region, U.A.E.

Monday 18 March 2013

Al Dhafra Camel Festival

The Al Dhafra Camel Festival, held in the Western Region of the U.A.E., is one of the largest camel parties in the world. 

People travel long distances, from all over the Middle East, to participate.

There is music.

There is dancing.  

From the experienced but young at heart...

to the young men...

boys being boys, they can get a little wild.

And there are camels moving in every direction.

Monday 11 March 2013

Camel Beauty

Now what do you think they look for in the most beautiful camel?
The owner of the winning camel will receive Dhs.1,000,000 or US$271,223.

Definitely a pleasing profile.

Nice teeth of course.

A long hanging lower lip is definitely one asset they most possess.

 And a pleasing personality and getting along with the herd, goes a long way.

Al Gharbia, Western Region, U.A.E.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Stubborn


Getting ready to transport a camel is not an easy process. It takes team work.
Sometimes it is way harder to get him out of the truck then it ever was to get him in!
 And of course you meet the nicest people pulling their camels. The camel's choice of paths is often very different from that of their owners.

Saturday 2 March 2013

Um Khalid


I met Um Khalid at the Camel Festival in Al Gharbia, Western Region.  She is of the Al Masirah Tribe of Oman. The black berka she is wearing is traditional of that tribe. We had a lively conversation about our sons, when she found out that I was Um Zachary.  Our sons are close to the same age.  She was so lively and bubbly and her nose crinkled so cute when she laughed.
Among the Arab cultures it is a great honor to have a male child and when a women produces her first male child she then takes his name as her own. Um Khalid means that she is "mother of Khalid".
She and her family had come to the Festival, from Oman, to sell dates, Arabic coffee, and honey. 
This is Um Khalid's daughter and a guest that had stopped for coffee. Their traditional tent was so pleasant and comfortable and a beautiful turquoise blue.

Modern Conveniences

Great mix of old and new!
Even crossing deserts, it's nice to have cell phone coverage and when the camels are racing, they now use mechanical jockeys.
Mechanical jockeys came to popularity when the human rights organization's out cry was heard about the use of very young boys from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. who were taken from their countries and brought to the U.A.E. to be used as camel racing jockeys.