Ships of the Desert

The dromedary or Arabian camel is known, rather romantically, as the ‘ship of the desert’. They are adapted for the desert: bushy eyelids keep out the sand, thick footpads help them glide over the harsh terrain and the hump stores fat, which is broken down into water and energy on long, dry crossings. Incredibly, a camel can travel 100 miles without water. The ancient Nabataeans could not have done without camels, and so the trading city of Petra, in Jordan (shown here), is in part down to them.