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Camel Country

Biologist Tessa McGregor joins an Omani caravan to discover why camels remain at the heart of Arabic culture. From 2012.

Camels are the heart and soul of Arabic culture. Even in an age of four-wheel drive and oil-money opulence they're a powerful symbol of wealth.

Field biologist Tessa McGregor travels through the deserts of Oman with one of the last of the frankincense caravans.

For centuries camel trains have climbed from the coastal plain to the high plateau of Dhofar to collect the annual frankincense harvest. The trade has declined as the young Omanis shun the tough world of the desert for the comforts of urban life but even in the cities the camel is still venerated.

Camels are raced, songs are composed in their honour, they're displayed in beauty contests and photos of favourite camels are swapped on mobile phones and Facebook.

In two generations, the people of the Arab peninsula have gone from nomadic poverty when the camel was the difference between life and death to an age of air-conditioned luxury but even today, as Tessa discovers, the camel herders are regarded as princes of the desert.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

First broadcast on 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4 in May 2012.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Wed 23 Jun 2021 02:30

Broadcasts

  • Mon 21 May 2012 11:00
  • Tue 12 Sep 2017 06:30
  • Tue 12 Sep 2017 13:30
  • Tue 12 Sep 2017 20:30
  • Wed 13 Sep 2017 01:30
  • Tue 22 Jun 2021 14:30
  • Wed 23 Jun 2021 02:30