Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and the younger generation are beginning to see that they have to work hard to secure the
same opportunities for their children.
PENINSULA LIVES
Ahmed is a fisherman near Shwaymiya in Oman. He gets up before dawn, performs his ablutions and walks to
the mosque for dawn prayers. By the time he returns, his sons have dragged the boat to the water's edge. His wife
has prepared something light to break the night's fast and will have rice waiting on their return from sea; his
daughters are out collecting firewood. A flotilla of 10 or 20 boats tears up the calm waters on the age-old hunt for
tuna. Half asleep in the middle of the afternoon, the day's work accomplished, the catch drying in the sun or dis-
patched to town in the freezer truck, his family arranged around him in various states of slumber and repose,
Ahmed asks why anybody else would want another life: 'I have my children, my wife and my fishing. What more
could a man wish for?' What indeed? But they do wish for more, and that's why two of his seven sons are now
enrolled in the military, and his eldest daughter is hoping to train in Salalah to become a nurse.
Fatima is married to Faisal, an administrator in the Wildlife Commission in Riyadh. Fatima remembers the
days when her father took her brothers on hunting parties looking for houbara bustards (near-endangered large
birds prized for their meat). She never imagined she'd marry someone involved in their protection. She's not
quite sure what all the fuss is about but the steady income helps pay for the education of their two children. She
was adamant about that: both daughters were to have the best. One is studying pharmacy and the other is good
with figures and will make an able accountant. She could do with some help with the family accounts - especially
with the investments she's made. She recently bought a part share in a truck for one of the construction compan-
ies. It's already returning a profit. She dons her
abeyya
(full-leng black robe) and sinks into the street outside,
glad to be anonymous - she'll have to sort out the feud with the neighbours soon because Faisal is clearly never
going to muscle up to that task!
Travel & Pilgrimage
When tax is minimal and petrol cheaper than bottled water, owning a car or two isn't the
extravagance one might imagine. The car is a status symbol but it's also a symbol of
travel. Arabs love to travel - to family members at the weekend, foreign countries for
honeymoons, and of course to Mecca for hajj or
umrah
(literally 'little pilgrimage').
THE BEDU - SURVIVAL OF THE MOST GENEROUS
Meaning 'nomadic', the name Bedu is today a bit of a misnomer. Though thought to number several hundred
thousand, very few Bedu are still truly nomadic, though a few hang on to the old ways. After pitching their dis-
tinct black, goat-hair tents - the
beit ash-sha'ar
(literally 'house of hair') - they graze their goats, sheep or camels
in an area for several months. When the sparse desert fodder runs out, it's time to move on again, allowing the
land to regenerate naturally.
The hospitality of the Bedu is legendary, even in a region known for its generosity. Part of the ancient and sac-
rosanct Bedouin creed is that no traveller in need of rest or food should be turned away. Likewise, a traveller as-
sumes the assured protection of his hosts for a period of three days, and is guaranteed a safe passage through tri-
bal territory. Even today the Bedu escort travellers safely across the desert in Yemen (though now you pay for the
service).
