Camel market

1/21/24 to 1/25/24

This time Saudi Arabia was just a transit country, but we were still able to have some very interesting experiences.

Camel market in Hofuf

Gabi read that one of the largest camel markets in Saudi Arabia takes place every week in Hofuf. Since we had planned to drive through nearby one way or another, the decision was made quickly. We drove there. The area on which the market takes place is immensely large, we didn’t know where and when we had to be to see the market. There is a slaughterhouse attached to the market. Here I was able to get some more information. I introduced myself as a potential buyer and was subsequently given polite advice. The butcher didn’t have much knowledge of the market even though he worked on site. What he explained to me, however, was that all the camels sold here are for meat; most of them are even slaughtered here. I was therefore able to confirm to him that I would have the camel that I purchased slaughtered by him, otherwise I would not be able to transport it at all. This made sense to the butcher, and he immediately had a friend come over, who drove me through the area in his pickup and also explained the market to me. There are estimated over a thousand camels on the market for sale. You can buy at any time, but official trading takes place after midday prayers, in a large, special square. That was exactly the information I wanted. The good meat camels are around twelve months old and will have around one hundred kilograms of meat. If you want to buy a camel outside of the trade, i.e. one of the camels that are standing around, the price is significantly higher than if you buy the camel during the auction. Although the camel meat is very good, the need to buy a whole camel and then have to eat a hundred kilograms of camel meat was a too one-sided meat diet, so we focused on documenting the event photographically and on film.

For a smile

In order to be able to visit the Al Qara Caves before everyone else in the morning, we stood next to the entrance on a large sandy area the evening before to spend the night. As is the case in urban environments, after dark the first young people arrived with their not really quiet motorcycles. We have chosen a meeting place of the youngsters! They demonstrated their motorcycles to each other by starting their machines as clearly and onomatopoeically as possible and completing top-speed demonstrations. Of course, everything was loudly commented on and applauded. Sleeping wasn’t really an option anymore. So, as a grandpa, I joined the boys and tried to talk to them. Apparently, they liked this and immediately invited me to test one of their bikes, which of course I declined. I then asked them how long they would stay and when we could go to sleep. The tallest among them immediately offered that they would move to another location and apologized for the disruption. Even when foreign old farts talk to young savages, it can sometimes lead to very pleasant results, we slept well.