A shepherd shouts consecutive incomprehensible words, but his scattered camels respond immediately and gather to follow him in order... They understand this "special language" known as "the shoe", which is a popular heritage used to communicate between camels and their owners in the Saudi desert.
The shoe was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) intangible cultural heritage list in December. The practice once again sheds light on the close relationship between camels and the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula.
"There is a special language between the owner of a camel and his camel," Al-Marri, 36, who owns 100 camels, told AFP in the Sayahed Ramah area, 150 km northeast of Riyadh. Else, you won't respond to it."
The Gulf countries organize various activities in which camels participate throughout the year, which earn those in charge of them and the participants in their competitions a high social status.
Saudi Arabia succeeded in registering the "camel shoe" on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, jointly with the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The executive director of the Heritage Authority in Saudi Arabia, Jasser Al-Harbash, told AFP that the shoes "strikes at the depth of the civilization of the Arabian Peninsula," noting that the main goal of its registration is "to protect, document, and provide an opportunity for its development."
