Camel Sightings in Oman

Susan Hack photographs camels in Oman for this slideshow. She saw the animals at the beach, in the desert, crossing streets—and turned into meat by local butchers.

Camels grazing on sea grapes on Mugsayl beach, Dhofar, Oman. Owners brand or carve the hair of their camels into distinctive marks. The animals graze freely during the day but know where to return for their nightly fodder.

Meat of young camels hanging at an open air roadside restaurant outside Salalah, Oman. Air-drying the meat and fat tenderizes it for cooking. Meat is cubed and stewed with garlic, tomato, and onion. Meat not sold is cooked in rendered camel fat and jarred; the fat preserves it like a French confit.

Meal of boiled leg of camel with broth; cubed camel stewed with garlic, tomato and onion; and kabsa, rice spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, and dried lime. Fresh lime is squeezed over the meat. At night, fresh camel milk is on the menu.

Meals are served on trays in an open, shared tent, or in private cabanas like these. You eat seated on cushions on the floor. The traditional method is to scoop food with the fingers of the right hand and mush it into a ball, but knives, spoons, and forks are available.

At the no-name local restaurant outside Salalah: camel meat boils and stews three ways in aluminum vats along with kabsa, a biryani-style rice spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, and the powder of dried, preserved lime.

Camel heaven. Drinking from a mountain-fed spring in Wadi Dharbat, Dhofar Province, Oman.

Camels walking down the road to the spring. The mother's teats are bound so that her owner can milk her in the evening. Her baby has to wait to feed.

Camel crossing sign in Dhofar, Oman. You'll see camels on the road, on the sides of the road, on beaches, mountain slopes, and wadis. They are still bred for milk and meat, but the 4x4 SUV has replaced the camel as a mode of transportation.

Camels grazing on a beach near Mirbat, Oman.

Trainer and young racing camels in the Wahiba Sands, Eastern Oman. A champion racing camel can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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