Ushaiqer Heritage Village, about 120 mies north of Riyadh, is one of the oldest towns in the Naid region of Saudi Arabia. In its day Ushaiqer was a major stopping point for Kuwaiti, Iraqi and Iranian pilgrims on the way to Mecca to perform Hajj. Now it is best known for its original mud-brick buildings—or what’s left of them. Old mud-brick buildings are a rarity. Without constant care they soon return to their native state, dirt, so some of the homes, the mosque and well have been restored. One house that received a lot of TLC belonged to Shaikh Ibrahim bin Saleh Aleisa and we were able to see how the wealthier folks in Ushaiqer lived.
Besides oil, Saudi Arabia is known for its dates and Yannis was adamant that we stop at the market to sample some before going to the hotel. We’ve eaten “raw” dates in Egypt but had no idea that there were so many varieties and flavors. My new friend Abdullah brought out platters of dates dripping with honey, dates dipped in sesame paste and who knows what else.
The Best Western in Buraidah was quite nice but creature comforts weren’t the reason Yannis picked it. It happens to be about 20 minutes from the world’s largest camel market, open Saturday through Thursday from six until eight. AM! There are about two-million camels roaming around Saudi Arabia but all are owned by someone and this is the place to trade them.
If there was any order to the proceedings, it was lost on us. Small groups gathered around a camel, or a female and calf, haggling over price until the owner raised his stick to announce the winner and collected his money. A truck-mounted craned lifted the sold camel into the new owners truck when the deal was done. Meanwhile camels with hind legs trussed brayed loudly as they struggled vainly to stand. Males in heat literally foamed at the mouth when they sensed receptive females—some even managed to do the deed.
With camel meat selling for $15 a kilo, most of these animals will find their was to the table. Although we didn’t see any, racing camels can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. We didn’t stick around long enough to see what happens to the unsold merchandise but I assume it was put back on the shelf for another day.
