Dubai: The 10-day trip on a camel organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre commenced on January 20 in collaboration with Yemeni voyager Ahmad Al Qasimi.
The trip will cover 200 kilometres through the UAE desert for 10 days with 15 applicants taking part in the voyage. Al Qasimi, 53, has carried out many voyages of this sort but is particularly interested in the one held in the UAE, titled “Winter Odyssey”, to teach youth how to cherish their heritage using traditional navigational techniques.
The Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre has collaborated with Al Qasimi because their ultimate goal is the conservation of national heritage in the UAE. Al Qasimi said that this voyage is an active way of reviving history in the minds of the new generations so that they can proudly display their heritage to the world.
“This is a fun trip with a historical significance which will include workshops, discussions and training sessions on how to interact with a camel and how to adapt to the desert,” said Al Qasimi.
Al Qasimi also said that among the challenges anticipated on this journey are the weather conditions and the different age groups undertaking this 10-day adventure. Participants aged from the early twenties to the mid-fifties will be exploring the desert together for a learning experience that is one of its kind.
“It’s showing me where people are coming from,” said 26-year-old Mark Stanton. “As an expat in this country, not everybody is exposed to this lifestyle as much as the local people so it’s a great opportunity for me to experience it.”
As a British American living in the UAE, Stanton has managed to learn Arabic and communicates with Arabs easily. Stanton is a clear example of a resident looking to explore heritage regardless of his nationality.
Abdullah Hamdan Bin Damlouk, CEO of Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre, encourages the participation of non-Emiratis in such events since history can be relived by everyone.
“It has nothing to do with citizenship because being a citizen just means I have the passport,” he said, “It’s a matter of nationalism because an expat can have that sense of nationalism more than me or any Emirati since they love the country and care about the traditions.”
Al Qasimi has been going on voyages since 1994 with a total of 40,000 kilometres travelled thus far. He aspires to become the next Ibn Battuta by reaching a record distance travelled on camel with more voyages lined up for him in the future to showcase his heritage before the world.
Maria Botros is a trainee at Gulf News.
