Northern Emirates

Almost a week I lived in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, studying the life of local Arabs and Asians immigrants. Only an hour drive from Dubai, but many contrasts No skyscrapers, but the desert in its original form. Here is both the city and the broad paved avenues, but most of the emirate still lives as hundreds of years ago, in a small oasis in the middle of the ocean of sand.

Ras Al Khaimah - UAE's northernmost state. Temperature is lower than in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, about forty degrees. Today I'll tell you about a typical Arab house in the mountains, on the camel market and the favorite pastime of Arab sheikhs - bird hunting.


1. One warm autumn morning we chistoprudov and mi3ch arrived in one of the Arab villages in the foothills of Ras Al Khaimah. Behind these mountains begins state of Oman, where we managed to get illegals, but that's for another post. In the village we were greeted by local Ali, who agreed to show the house.

2. Ali himself now lives in a place, and this is his family seat: he was born, lived, his father and grandfather. Who was the house where he is coming for the weekend, here keeps goats.


3. I wanted to use the toilet. I was warned that he was not entirely comfortable, but I was not scared, I'm from Russia.


4. So look traditional Arab houses on a background of mountains.


5. Contrary to popular stereotypes, traditional costumes, called dishdashas here, are not only of the sheikhs, and all religious Arabs. Again, they are not only white, but other bright colors. Women wear Abai, they are only black. Under them, usually hiding expensive clothes, which are European-women do not often see. Almost all Arab go terribly expensive handbags with the world's best fashion designers.


6. In this house I used to live an entire family of five.


7. Houses built of stone: natural building material everywhere. No cement, just each other, strengthening the small pebbles. Gap between them - it is good, not so hot.


8. The temperature inside - about twenty degrees. When it's forty - the difference is palpable.


9. Traditional oven for baking bread, we have known as a tandoor. Generally something like this I have seen and settlement in Ingushetia and Chechnya. It's amazing how many miles between them, but as a similar culture.


10. Sparse desert vegetation.


11. This is almost a modern house was built in the sixties of the last century. Ali was born here.


12. A small tea party. We were treated to fresh dates and natural honey with pita bread, baked just in the tandoor. Honey here comes only from wild bees, with great difficulty, it is collected in the mountains, and it is very expensive. Dime like honey.


13. The neighboring house. Poor, but neatly.


14. You should leave the car at night in Moscow in winter - its sweep snow. Leave the pickup at the house for the night in the desert - in the morning it will be covered sand dust.


15. Now the Arabs living in the Emirates not much better. All good homes with garages, air conditioning, and other good things of life. Townhouses just like in America. Only fences are present in almost the same amount as in Russia. The more - the better.


16. Traditional Arabic transport, camels, now almost forgotten, and are used for entertainment. Jeep comfortable and convenient, and a liter of gasoline is worth a little more than a kilogram of spines.


17. There, where civilization has not reached to the shopping centers, the Mall and supermarkets selling the old, in the market.


18. In large bags - Fig. Sellers in the market mainly from Asia, the locals do not work traders, it is indecent.


19. Who do you think, and bringing in these cars?


20. That's right - camels! For the food market starts camel market.


21. Ships of the desert are now being used for the amusement of tourists, or to participate in camel races. Every October is a great race, the competition coming athletes from all the surrounding areas.


22. Colt is from two hundred to two thousand dollars. Know how to determine the "quality" of a camel? When he was just born, watch how quickly it will recover, if doing it in the first hours, safely and confidently - it will be a powerful beast rider. He is given the highest bidder. Weaknesses can grow exclusively for meat or for fur.


23. Why did he have this muzzle?


24. Incidentally, when the camels screaming sounds like a sea lion roar!


25. The market operates around the clock, sellers do not go home and sleep here in the desert.


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27. Still here are selling strange looking sheep.


28. Around, garbage, homeless, free grazing camels and chew cardboard. This outstanding product, but no one takes it: who needs the old weak camels?


29. Arabs, though the brothers, but not friendly with each other: different clans and clans have long fought each other. And built on the edge of their possessions such watchtowers.


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31. We were taken to a deserted park emirate of Ras Al Khaimah see falconry. Sheikhs still love this game.


32. Good fighting falcon worth a few camels, although the difference in size is obvious!


33. Birds are very predatory and may roost serious harm to man. They listen only to the owner, they grow up, and even then not always. It happens that the departures. Bind them useless, the only way to keep to yourself - cover your head so the cap: the bird can not see anything in front of her, she was sitting quietly on a perch.


34. Bloggers in the oasis.


35. Desert landscape.


36. The Falcons, who showed us - travel, not as aggressive as their combat counterparts. They sit on a special glove, each person can hold in their hands a falcon.


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39. I myself did not touch the bird, I am afraid of.