Merzouga, Morocco
I spent some time researching camels before this trip, so you, my friends, will be subjected to a barrage of camel-related facts, photos, and folklore over the next two days. When we are done, you will either love camels or hate them.
“Abdullah loved his camel, as much as a man can love a camel, which is to say he hated it only a little.”
I read the quote above many years ago, but I can’t remember which book it was in or who said it. This is unfortunate, as the quote says much about men and camels; I wish I could give credit to whoever wrote it.
People and camels have had a love/hate relationship since one domesticated the other.
The verdict is still out on who tamed who.
The earliest ancestor of modern camels is a long-extinct species called Paracamelus. 3.5 million-year-old fossils of these creatures have been found above the Arctic Circle on Ellesmere Island and in the Yukon Territory.
You heard it here first, folks: Camels are Canadian!
All camels we meet in the next two days have a direct ancestral DNA link to Paracamelus.
94% of camels on earth are dromedaries, one-hump camels. Their name comes from the Greek word dromados, or runner.
A healthy adult camel can run at a sustained speed of 40 km/hr, with bursts of up to 65 km/hr.
Hicham, our driver/tour guide, says camel racing is not a thing in Morocco, only in Saudi Arabia are they crazy brave enough to ride a galloping camel.
The Prophet Mohammed encountered a Bedouin man who did not tie his camel. The Prophet asked him, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet replied, “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in Allah.”
I take this to mean, “Don’t leave your future to fate; take control of what you can in life.”
Midnight at the Oasis
Send your camel to bed
Got shadows painting our faces
And traces of romance in our heads
Midnight at the Oasis – Maria Muldaur
Both the Bible and the Quran mention camels with a similar theme.
In Luke 18:25, Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
The Qur’an 7:40 says, “Indeed, those who deny our verses and are arrogant toward them – the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into…
…the eye of a needle.
At the risk of tiring you with camel trivia, Bear and I are going to send our camel to bed now. We will check back tomorrow and let you know how that love them / hate them thing is going.
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