The ruthless nature of the desert has forever tied people’s lives with the fantastic, most sturdy creatures in the world, camels. Even the name of the Arab nomad “Bedouin” means “owner of camels.” Westerners call humpback creatures “the ship of the desert” and the easterners—“the gift of Allah” because camels often saved the lives of nomads. Even today, the lives of many eastern travelers entirely depend on camels. Back in ancient times, Arab incense traders carried their goods on camels; they sheltered themselves from hot winds thanks to camels, escaped the heat, and quenched their thirst with camel milk. This being said, the camels, in turn, can do without water for up to six months and carry heavy loads weighing up to a quarter of a ton. At all times, the Bedouins exchanged, sold, and bred camels. The animals were the most stable currency in the world and a measure of the wealth of any easterner.

Little has changed today. Camels are still of great value. The record for the cost of one animal was set by the hereditary Prince of the Emirate of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum when he paid 10 million dirhams for a camel. This amount stands for more than 2.7 million American dollars. And if in ancient times camels were valued for their endurance, nowadays, their beauty and even curious grace are of value.

In some Arab countries, beauty pageants are regularly held, where each camel owner can present his frontrunners. However, nothing beats the most popular entertainment of the Arabs, the camel race. Its participants are raised on the Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain that is open to the public. More than 500 racing camels belong to the ruling royal dynasty. You can stroke and feed each of them, but you won’t be able to ride royal camels because they are future champions or purebred bulls that will one day give expensive offspring.

The Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain is one of the largest camel farms in the world. Children will especially enjoy the trip because here they can see adult camels and small newborn colts. However, remember about the funny and yet not very pleasant characteristic of these animals. At any moment, even the most friendly camel can spit and cause a lot of trouble for the ones within easy reach.