Baby Camels…

I really, really, really want a baby camel. I can’t explain it, I just do. Last year, I had the opportunity to bottle feed this fluffy white friend while cruising in Tunisia towards the Algerian border. I also bonded with the tiny camel below in Turkmenistan, when I was preserving Sufi shrines and excavating Islamic archaeology on the Silk Road.

Once, while I was doing research on Sufism and Islamic cultural heritage in Turkmenistan, I came upon these adorable baby camels (below) blocking the road. When they finally stood up, we were about the same height — could see eye-to-eye.

In Oman, I’ve had my fill of camel rides in the desert, but I have yet to encounter a baby. Many of my Omani students own camels, and there are plenty of opportunities to see camel racing and camel beauty pageants in the Sultanate. But I have a special place in my heart for the babies — they are just too cute.