Thursday 26 / December / 2024
Fifty-three-year-old Ahmed Al Mahrouqi has an undying love for camels but his story doesn’t end here. He has taken his affection to another level as he wants the people of Oman to understand the importance of their culture and heritage.
The ship of the desert have always been an integral part of Oman and used for the purpose of food, transport, wars, and even as man’s companion. Unfortunately, people fail to realise their relevance and importance now because of the convenient lifestyles that we have grown to live, but Al Mahrouqi not only understands it, but has also orchestrated a way to promote them by conducting road trips using camels.
With an aim to promote tourism and remind people of Oman’s golden bygone era, Ahmed decided to go on his first road trip on a camel. He had to train and familiarise himself first with the ways and behaviours of the camel. It was an experience by itself as in the process he actually started speaking their language.
For instance, he realised that camels often reacted to certain sounds and words such as ‘khhrrr’, which means sit. After three months of training, understanding, and building the mental strength to do it, Ahmed Al Mahrouqi set out on the trip in 2013 from Bidiyah to Nakhal, with two camels, necessary supplies, and some jazz music. The successful journey did manage to bring Ahmed Al Mahrouqi and his quirkily noble intention to everybody’s notice.
Apart from promoting this unique camel trip of Oman, the trip also highlighted vital messages such as traffic safety awareness, and the security and safety in Oman. Soon Ahmed planned his second trip, a more challenging journey from the Royal Palace in Muscat to Salalah, a distance of about 1,000 kilometres that he covered in a month. It usually takes us an hour by flight or 11 hours by road to get to Salalah, but Ahmed wanted to emphasise on the fact that sometimes it’s okay to not be in a hurry and take things slow, giving you the time and opportunity to ponder, think, and spend time with yourself.
On his third trip he crossed the border going all the way to Abu Dhabi. The trip did end up answering important questions such as whether it is possible for people of the 21st century to comfortably get a taste of how the ancestors used to lead their lives and also reiterated the fact that the camel is, was, and will remain an important part of Oman’s culture and livelihood. More importantly, the expedition helped in promoting tourism and understanding the country from the grassroots.
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