Bedouins (بدوي) and Camels 1986-1988
The masters of the desert.
A bedouin encampment near to the road between Hofuf and Riyadh. This is a fairly large camp, with several tents, cars, and the all-important water tanker. Since Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers or lakes, the Bedouins cannot rely on natural water supplies, or digging wells, so they use water tankers instead, and buy fresh water. They are still nomadic though, and will move on when their herds need more shrubs to eat, or if they are being taken for trade.
With Bedouins come camels. In Saudi Arabia, these are always dromedaries, with their single hump.
Many camels roam freely around the desert, and loom out of spontaneous sandstorms (which can be extreme enough to reduce visibility to just a few metres), crossing roads without warning. They are the cause of numberous car accidents, where their sheer size means that there are often no survivors.
Traffic jam.
South of Hofuf, and another Bedouin camp. This one has a single main tent or byat (بيت). The tent is usually divided into three rooms; the men's room, the women's room, and the store room. The store room is normally packed full of Nestlé Condensed Milk tins, relied upon by these people who have no source of fresh cow's milk.
Southeast of Hofuf, and another camp that we stumbled on while driving in random directions across the desert, trying not to sink in the sand. These Bedouins had some camels with basic cloth saddles, being led towards a mythical starting line.
Some boys were hoisted onto their camels, and the traditional camel races began.
Camels move a lot when they walk. They move even more when they run, almost like a rodeo horse. To make sure the boys do not fall off, they are tied on, with ropes fastened around their knees. Good if you want to stay on, but I hate to think what happens if the camel trips.
The straggler has been lost, and the race continues between the three leading camels.
On the way back, victorious.
Keeping the camels warm after a race. After all, the winter in Saudi Arabia can be as cold as a hot British summer, and we wouldn't want them to get cold.
Hosing down.
Refilling the camel's hump with water. No, that was not serious.
Pinning it down so it can be groomed.
A proud owner, and his steed. The camel's legs are hobbled to prevent it running away - evidently this is a valuable animal.
The awkward way camels get up or down, always good to make the uninitiated fall off. For some reason I do not understand, this camel's legs are bound so that it cannot stand.
Riding a camel, and either really loving it, or really hating it - I can't tell which (that's two of my sisters, and a friend).
Young camels feeding from their mother. We were also given some freshly squeezed (still warm) camel's milk to try. It tastes like a cross between cow's milk and goat's milk. Notice that the camels are watered from the same water tanker as their owners. Ever wonder how to get a heavy water tanker across a desert without it sinking into the sand? Simple; drive really fast, and don't stop for anything.
A singing camel. More like bellowing with a sore throat, but the male camels seem to find it attractive. Perhaps they like being yelled at by their women.
Silence of the camels.
Stoking the fire to make coffee.
Sitting inside the tent. The women's room would be behind one of the curtains on the sides. The bedouin women in this country had one major clothing difference from the city dwellers; bedouin women did not wear a complete veil over their faces, and instead had a veil that left their eyes visible, while covering the rest of their face.
A priceless photograph; my brother and me, being served Arabic coffee, by Bedouins, in their home. Notice how there are no chairs. Even in city houses, most Saudis have no chairs. When eating, they sit on cushions or a rug around a large shared tray of food (rice, meats, melons), which they eat with their right hand. The left hand was traditionally reserved for cleansing after using the toilet, when water and paper were too scarce to clean properly - eew. City houses tend to have squat toilets, with bidets and proper sinks. But they still maintain the tradition of using the right hand for eating, and the left for cleansing. Being left handed is not an option.
Outside the camp.
A final image; a friend trying to preach The Qur'an to a camel. It was not impressed, and after spitting at the book (yes, it really did), it walked off.
A bedouin encampment near to the road between Hofuf and Riyadh. This is a fairly large camp, with several tents, cars, and the all-important water tanker. Since Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers or lakes, the Bedouins cannot rely on natural water supplies, or digging wells, so they use water tankers instead, and buy fresh water. They are still nomadic though, and will move on when their herds need more shrubs to eat, or if they are being taken for trade.
With Bedouins come camels. In Saudi Arabia, these are always dromedaries, with their single hump.
Many camels roam freely around the desert, and loom out of spontaneous sandstorms (which can be extreme enough to reduce visibility to just a few metres), crossing roads without warning. They are the cause of numberous car accidents, where their sheer size means that there are often no survivors.
Traffic jam.
South of Hofuf, and another Bedouin camp. This one has a single main tent or byat (بيت). The tent is usually divided into three rooms; the men's room, the women's room, and the store room. The store room is normally packed full of Nestlé Condensed Milk tins, relied upon by these people who have no source of fresh cow's milk.
Southeast of Hofuf, and another camp that we stumbled on while driving in random directions across the desert, trying not to sink in the sand. These Bedouins had some camels with basic cloth saddles, being led towards a mythical starting line.
Some boys were hoisted onto their camels, and the traditional camel races began.
Camels move a lot when they walk. They move even more when they run, almost like a rodeo horse. To make sure the boys do not fall off, they are tied on, with ropes fastened around their knees. Good if you want to stay on, but I hate to think what happens if the camel trips.
The straggler has been lost, and the race continues between the three leading camels.
On the way back, victorious.
Keeping the camels warm after a race. After all, the winter in Saudi Arabia can be as cold as a hot British summer, and we wouldn't want them to get cold.
Hosing down.
Refilling the camel's hump with water. No, that was not serious.
Pinning it down so it can be groomed.
A proud owner, and his steed. The camel's legs are hobbled to prevent it running away - evidently this is a valuable animal.
The awkward way camels get up or down, always good to make the uninitiated fall off. For some reason I do not understand, this camel's legs are bound so that it cannot stand.
Riding a camel, and either really loving it, or really hating it - I can't tell which (that's two of my sisters, and a friend).
Young camels feeding from their mother. We were also given some freshly squeezed (still warm) camel's milk to try. It tastes like a cross between cow's milk and goat's milk. Notice that the camels are watered from the same water tanker as their owners. Ever wonder how to get a heavy water tanker across a desert without it sinking into the sand? Simple; drive really fast, and don't stop for anything.
A singing camel. More like bellowing with a sore throat, but the male camels seem to find it attractive. Perhaps they like being yelled at by their women.
Silence of the camels.
Stoking the fire to make coffee.
Sitting inside the tent. The women's room would be behind one of the curtains on the sides. The bedouin women in this country had one major clothing difference from the city dwellers; bedouin women did not wear a complete veil over their faces, and instead had a veil that left their eyes visible, while covering the rest of their face.
A priceless photograph; my brother and me, being served Arabic coffee, by Bedouins, in their home. Notice how there are no chairs. Even in city houses, most Saudis have no chairs. When eating, they sit on cushions or a rug around a large shared tray of food (rice, meats, melons), which they eat with their right hand. The left hand was traditionally reserved for cleansing after using the toilet, when water and paper were too scarce to clean properly - eew. City houses tend to have squat toilets, with bidets and proper sinks. But they still maintain the tradition of using the right hand for eating, and the left for cleansing. Being left handed is not an option.
Outside the camp.
A final image; a friend trying to preach The Qur'an to a camel. It was not impressed, and after spitting at the book (yes, it really did), it walked off.