Thursday, April 25, 2013

Camels

Camels and Dunes, near Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)



The desert is never far away in the United Arab Emirates  In fact it is usually just across the street, or even in your own front yard. And what would the desert be without camels? Camels seem synonymous with the landscape. I drove only a short way off the road to capture this trademark scene of the Arabian Peninsula... a loose caravan of dromedaries strolling around the dunes, herded by a 
cameleer (just out of the frame).

Although there are a lot of camels here, the UAE is not a Camelot for camels. Camels are a commodity. They are raised as livestock on farms for meat and milk. They are also raced, and used as beasts of burden to carry tourists like us 
for rides in the desert.

Not surprisingly, the English word camel comes to us from the Arabic word jamala, meaning "to bear".



25 comments:

  1. "movie scenery", this picture is wonderful!
    Léia

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  2. What odd-looking beasts they are! Great picture.

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  3. My goodness Doug! If this is abdication of photos to come we are in for a real treat. Cheers J.

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  4. Oops - I mean "an indication" not "abdication". Don't you just love predictive text.

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  5. I've never encountered camels on my travels, but if I do I now know a little bit about them thanks to you.

    Great shot, I love the rich colours. Looks like you've had some amazing travels.

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  6. Very interesting. I'm impressed with that ridge of sand!

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  7. Here is the country which I do not know but as I adore deserts, I may only like this beautiful photo in warm colors. The sand evokes the aspect of a velvet

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  8. You are very fortunate because you can travel to exotic countries.
    At least we can enjoy your great photos.

    · hugs

    · CR · & · LMA ·


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  9. You mean...
    Camel meat burger?
    Camel milkshake?
    Man, did you try any?

    Oh I think I saw the cameleer!
    Was it just a mirage?

    So camel is "bear" in Arabic?
    I wonder what's "Bare Necessities" like in Arabic...

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  10. What a superb image Doug... i am sure that you had a wonderful time in the United Arab Emirates....peter:)

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  11. I would have been a kid in the candy store if I had seen such a scene, Doug. OMG!

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  12. you're right, doug, this is SOOOO desert ... dunes, dromedaries, this particular light in the air ... these beasts look as if they had been arranged especially for the photographers ... ;-)

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  13. Wow! This looks out of this world and so beautiful! This must have been amazing to see and experience!

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  14. I just love the golden sand, sweeping dunes, and perfectly placed camels. All it needs is a sound-track from Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade to illustrate a scene from the Arabian Nights.

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  15. now that's one shot you certainly have to have if you're visiting the middle east.. now i wanna visit the middle east too!! :D

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  16. Fantastic composition: sand and camels married in a great unity of tones. So warm and beautiful.
    Have a nice day.

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