 Arabian ostrich products, as well as live birds, were exported as far as China.A Tang Dynasty source states that the "camel bird" inhabiting Arabia is
"four "chi" and more in height, its feet resembling those of a camel; its neck is very strong, and men are able to ride on its back...".The Arabian ostrich was also discussed in Mesopotamian scholarly writings from the time of the Baghdad Caliphate, such as Zakariya al-Qazwini's cosmography "'Aja'ib al-makhluqat wa-ghara'ib al-mawjudat", the "Kitab al-Hayawan" ("Book of Animals") of Al-Jahiz, or Ibn Manzur's dictionary "Lisan al-Arab".