Arabian Peninsula - Date Palms, Bedouin Tents and Camels

Many of you know I had the opportunity to live in Kuwait for seven years while teaching High School Math at Universal American School in Kuwait. Palm trees, Bedouin tents and camels remind me of the time I spent in the Middle East.

The palm trees in Kuwait were date palm trees. Date palm trees require only a little amount of water so they can grow in the desert. The date palm has been a symbol of prosperity in the Arab world for a long time. The fruit has great nutritional value and when dried can last a long time. This made dates a perfect food for people who had to move from place to place. Some ancient cultures referred to date palms as ‘trees of life’.

The tent on my bell does not look like a typical Bedouin tent.

Bedouin tents that I saw in many of the countries in the Middle East were woollen tents called Black tents. The traditional Bedouin Tents were woven from the hair of sheep or goats or camels.

The Bedouin tent was warm when the weather was cold, and cool and airy when it was hot.

They would often have colourful rugs hanging on the inside walls and covering the sandy floor in front of the tent.

Herding goats and camels were a part of the traditional Bedouin culture.

Camels adapted and found ways to help them survive in the desert. Their thick coat of hair protects them from the heat during the day and keeps them warm at night. They have large feet which help spread their weight on the sand when they are walking and even the water from the camel’s breath is able to flow back into its mouth to keep the camel hydrated.

Camels are known as ‘ships of the desert’. They have been used for carrying goods across the desert for thousands of years. Camels are the only desert animals that can carry heavy loads and can travel for a long period of time without food or water. The Bedouin people also relied on camels for their milk, meat and fur.

While living in the Middle East, I had the opportunity to ride a camel and to visit a Bedouin tent. I have also enjoyed sitting under a date palm tree and of course eating some dates too. How about you?

# living life abundantly   # published author