Hi, I'm Karin, and welcome to Our Human Planet.
Americans have had a love affair with cars
but sometimes the hottest ride in town
doesn't come with a steering wheel.
Less than a hundred years ago
camels were the only way to get around.
In Bir'ash, just 35 kilometers outside of Cairo,
they still hold the largest camel market
in the Middle East.
Hundreds of animals will be bought and sold
by 10:00 a.m.
They want to finish before the heat sets in.
The camels come from a far away as Somalia,
though many are brought up the 40-Day Road from western Sudan,
an ancient trade route dating back to the 1300s.
If they don't get sold in upper Egypt,
then they get loaded into trucks
for the 24-hour drive to Cairo.
Though getting them off again can be quite a challenge.
They're a thousand pounds apiece and stubborn.
And can be aggressive when provoked.
But then, their owners aren't afraid to draw a little blood either.
This is no place for the faint of heart.
Once here, they get traded for cash and other livestock,
or auctioned off for farm work or meat.
The men force them to move around
to prove they're not lame.
They also check their feet,
teeth,
eyes,
and skin.
A large and healthy working animal
can go for upwards of 500 U.S. dollars
The less lucky ones are sold by weight
and will go straight to the slaughterhouse.
It's a male-only business
and a relatively rough crowd.
These men live for camels
even though other kinds of livestock have a higher profit margin.
Like the Pyramids,
camels are a point of pride,
a part of their collective heritage.
Once you've bought your piece of Egyptian history,
you still have to get it home.
Business is done on a handshake
and sales recorded on slips of paper,
with payments made in cash some days later.
Once the work is done and the day turns white-hot,
it's time to pull off their shoes,
sit in the shade,
and smoke a shisha pipe, or two.
This is the highlight of their week,
the chance to get together and shoot the breeze
before the afternoon call to prayer.
If they've done well in their morning's negotiations,
they can even buy a few luxuries from the local vendors
or pick up some camel milk for the kids,
supposedly good for strength and virility,
and the immune system.
For those who can afford it,
there's lunch at the local dive.
The menu includes:
boiled eggs,
and bean soup,
fries,
hummus,
deep fried falafel,
and lots of flies.
And then it's time to head out
to the all-important Friday sermon.
See you next time
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