Souq Al Jamal (Camel market)
Who doesn’t want to own their own camel, right?
Black, white or beige, long or shorthaired, adult or calf, the options are seemingly endless and the finest looking beasts are worth a pretty penny. A timeless and cultural symbol of Saudi Arabia, prize camels can fetch anywhere up to a million $US … that even makes designer dog prices look reasonable.
So how do you pick a quality camel you ask? Good question. I mean, beautiful eyes and fluttering lashes are a given, but one can’t possibly overlook full lips, an elegant long neck and a graceful gait. However if nature doesn’t quite provide, I have heard on the grapevine that some owners have resorted to using Botox on their Camelus dromedarius to ensure a perfect pout and a smooth wrinkle-free nose before the annual Camel Beauty Pageant (yep, that’s a thing) at the King Abdul-Aziz Camel Festival - I kid you not, this is totally Hollywood for camels! (Of course, this type of beauty extravagance is frowned upon by the judges and will get you quickly disqualified.)
Then if all else fails…there’s bling! Handmade by industrious locals, try brightly coloured pompoms, braids or beads – or you could go with mirrored sequins to catch the rays of the desert sun and the attention of judges.
Anyway I digress. So following a mud map on another great adventure we headed out into the desert. We were hopeful but not convinced that we were going to find Souq Al Jamal – the largest camel market in the region…when to our surprise and delight, on this occasion our directions actually did lead us to a buzz of activity in the middle of nowhere - our Camel Market.
Camels for sale, camels in trucks, camel yards, camel herders, camel unloading apparatus and every sort of dromedary you could ever wish to find. The atmosphere was quite electric, there were roads lined with animals in pens, Bedouin tents and huts and a sea of smiling Saudi men and their camels. But while we were amazed by the camel trade, the locals seemed to be more amused by us!
Saudis are known for their generous hospitality, and we had firsthand witness on this occasion. With my blonde hair and our distinctly western looks (even wearing an abaya) it appears that we were quite conspicuous amongst the crowd. We were stopped every few steps by friendly locals wanting to say welcome, take our picture and invite us to share food and coffee with them.
We did accept an offer to take a break from the relentless sun and go into one of the huts only to be amazed by the lush (ironically, camel coloured) carpeting, printed fabric covered walls and soft floor cushions – an oasis in the middle of this sandy desert. Our hosts shared an Arabic coffee of which they were enormously proud and a tray of watermelon – delicious, sweet, and very welcome on a hot summer’s day.
I am sad to report however, that even with the great array on offer, we came home without a camel onboard.
The Camel Market is located less than 100kms north of the capital city of Riyadh. Despite the relatively close location and the wide, well-maintained roads there was not a tourist in sight which helped to contribute to the authenticity of this distinctly Saudi experience.
10/10 for Souq Al Jamal.
