Desert Ships

Each year bedouins travel from all corners of the Arabian Peninsula to sell camels for millions of dirhams and, more importantly, to compete in the camel beauty pageant. The contest, held in Abu Dhabi, is one of the biggest and richest events of its kind, with more than $9 million and over 100 cars up for grabs as prizes.

Camels have long been revered as the desert ships of these lands, and they remain a valuable cultural asset to the heritage of the bedouin.

This relationship between man and beast has existed for centuries and dates back thousands of years in the Middle East. Above all, camels provided a means of transportation across the desert, but were also used during raids on other tribes to claim other camels.


A family’s pack of camels offered milk for nourishment and hair that was woven into blankets and tents. The dung, flattened into patties, burned as fuel for fire. Even the urine was used as a detractor of lice when applied to one’s hair.

Bedouin life has always centered on a transient existence; moving from one location to another, land held no value. Instead, these ships of the desert became the measure of each man’s wealth.


Since the discovery of oil in the United Arab Emirates in the last century, the bedouin lifestyle has faded into extinction. Thatched huts have been replaced by towering Babel-esque skyscrapers and even the once highly coveted camel has been traded in for the latest high-end SUV.

Preservation of the Emirates’ cultural heritage may in the end prove futile. For now, Million Street offers a remarkable glimpse into a rich and ancient lifestyle struggling to maintain relevance.