‘Desert knights’ start tracing heritage path
dubai — A caravan of camel riders from diverse cultures embarked on a journey to live an extraordinary experience of real Emirati heritage. The 15-member group set out from the ‘Empty Quarter’ in Abu Dhabi, a harsh desert in the far south of the UAE, recently.
The fourth edition of the ‘Camel Trek’ saw 15 participants — six women and nine men — from the UAE, Oman, UK, France, Algeria, Syria, Pakistan, Malaysia and Ukraine.
Welcoming the participants at the launch of the fourth annual Camel Trek, Hind bin Demaithan Al Qemzi, director of events at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre (HHC), dubbed them ‘desert knights’, for their determination to undergo a rare experience that requires great composure, endurance and patience.
“In this edition, however, the camel trek is taken to a new level compared to the previous years. The past versions were planned alongside cities and populated villages and thus close to the areas of supplies necessary for the trip. This year’s trip, is from ‘Rub Al Khali’ or the so-called ‘Empty Quarter’, which is known in history for its harshness and its distinct desert environment that is devoid of any life,” said Al Qemzi.
The camel caravan will travel about 200 kilometres through the Empty Quarter in the southern part of Abu Dhabi. “This is the first trip of its kind in the region because it will cut across areas that were rarely travelled by camel caravans in the past due to the high sand dunes of up to 300 metres in addition to some rugged terrain.
However, the journey has been undertaken after careful study and planning for several weeks to chart the camel caravan route,” she said.
“In order to ensure the safety of the participants, we have taken all necessary measures, including the appointment of a ‘paramedic’ to provide medical services and first aid if necessary, and the expertise of several desert navigational experts, including Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, chief executive officer of HHC. We have used their extensive experience in identifying the trails and have provided all equipment and supplies sufficient to enable the caravan to pass through the ‘Empty Quarter’ and to go to the areas near the villages,” added Al Qemzi.
The 15 participants received training in camel riding by the organisers HHC, before embarking on what has become the flagship event in HHC’s annual programme.
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