This Bedouin father teaches his son to manage the camel.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia covers an area the size of Western Europe and has a population of 26 million, about the same as North Korea or Texas. One half of all Saudis are under age 20 and approximately one- third of the population is made up of foreign workers.

The land is virtually all desert and mountain, hot and dry all year. Unless you are a camel or a wandering nomad, it is a forbidding country. A few areas along the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf have grass, scrubs, and palm trees; however, irrigation can produce lush vegetation.

The Arabian Peninsula has always been a place to cross, not to settle. Camel caravans controlled by Arab tribes braved the desert and the mountains carrying goods to and from Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and Rome. The only true cities - Riyadh, Madinah, Jeddah, and Makkah (Mecca) - are modern creations. Riyadh is the royal and commercial center, the others thrive on religion.

The Prophet Muhammed, a descendant of Abraham, received his revelation from the angel Gabriel in 610 AD and consolidated all 360 Arabic deities into one, Allah, who had been the God of the Moon (hence the crescent symbol of Islam). Through terror and war, Muhammed converted the many tribes to follow the religion he called Islam. Less than 200 years after Muhammed's death in 632 AC, Islam had spread from Arabia to Spain in the west and India in the east.

This Bedouin woman is weaving wool blankets.

The nation of Saudi Arabia grew from an alliance between a major tribal leader and a Muslim cleric in 1744. The Saud family in Riyadh adopted the Islamic faith and assumed royal status. During World War I, the tribes were organized by Lawrence of Arabia, an English colonel, to free their land from the Ottoman Turks.

In 1932, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was officially established as an Islamic

state based on the Koran.

 

 

 

 

 

Today, King Abdullah is king, head of state, prime minister, and custodian of the Holy Mosques. Members of his family hold all the other top positions.

The Arabian camel (dromedary) has a single hump of fatty tissue, which can be used as a food reserve. It is well suited to desert life with its broad feet, its ability to close its nostrils completely, and its double row of interlocking eyelashes. Camels do not store water but conserve it. The camel may drink up to 15 gallons of water and survive for long periods without water.

During our tour of the Tabouk Province of Saudi Arabia, we were taken to a Bedouin camp for food and entertainment. The Bedouin are remnants of the traditional Arab society, reminding me of the Cherokee of the Smokies. They dress in colorful costumes and hold quaint ceremonies in ragged tents for the tourists. Chickens scratch for bugs and dogs beg for scraps. Women demonstrate their talents at weaving and sewing. These exotic and happy people appear impoverished, illiterate, and quaint… then as we get on the bus, they drive away in their Mercedes.

Though increasingly wealthy, both the Bedouin and the Cherokee are still on the fringe of modern society. To prove this point, our guide told us Bedouin people who moved to the cities, lived in ghettos, spoke an archaic dialect, seldom bathed, and refused to send their children to school.

Warner takes his life into his hands and joins the Bedouin sword dance.

Nevertheless, our evening with the Bedouins was fun. The men cooked shish- ka- bobs over sizzling coals, musicians played ancient instruments, and women shuffled around chasing chickens, dogs, and children. We ate, laughed, and joined the traditional Bedouin sword dance. As the sun set over the mountains, the desert air quickly turned cool, and our hosts vanished into shadows that stretched from the tents to the Mercedes.

Next week: Aqaba & Jordan

 

At sunset the mountains become shadows and the desert becomes cool.