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Saudi ArabiaPeople

by Alexandra Mansilla

Bedouins Who Race Camels: A Journey Through Tabuk

13 Jun 2025

Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

Tabuk, in Saudi Arabia’s northwest, is a land of contrasts — deserts, mountains, volcanic plains, and green oases. And here, camels aren’t just animals. They are part of life.
Camel racing in Tabuk isn’t a show or a sport with robots. It is tradition. Races often happen during weddings or local celebrations — a way for people to come together.
This isn’t about trophies. It is about connection. And it is a tradition that goes all the way back to the ancient Midianites, who once used camels in war, right here, on this land.
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Tabuk. Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

Ibrahim Sarhan, a photographer with an endless curiosity for the unfamiliar, often finds himself in the most unexpected parts of Saudi Arabia — sometimes in places that don’t even show up on the map.
One day, he found himself in Tabuk — and by the way, I highly recommend checking out his book Shaddad: Traditional Camel Racing and Bedouin Culture in the Tabuk Region (شَدَّاد: سباقات الهجن التقليدية وثقافة البادية في منطقة تبوك). It is 360 pages of deeply detailed experience and incredible photos you won’t find anywhere else.
So, in Tabuk, completely by accident, Ibrahim discovered camel racing wasn’t some rare spectacle. It was something totally everyday — just part of how life flows out there.
“About five years ago, I was wandering in the desert — sleeping alone in the middle of the Tabuk desert. I woke up around 8 or 9 a.m., with the sun already up. What woke me was the sound of two children… riding five camels. Yes — just two kids, but they were leading five camels, all tied together.”
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Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

He says it looked completely out of place — kids with camels, alone in the desert. He couldn’t just pass by.
“That was something really rare for me. I stopped them and asked what they were doing. They told me they were training the camels.”
It turned out they weren’t just out for a ride. They had a whole routine.
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Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

“From them, I learned that they train the camels twice a day — after sunrise and again before sunset. They were training the camels so they could participate in camel races.”
And the races themselves — not what you would imagine. No tracks, no robots, no announcements.
“They also told me they sometimes race in the desert. Sometimes they go out at midnight, sleep in the desert, and begin racing before sunrise. I had no idea this was happening, and I’m sure it’s not known outside the Tabuk region. This seems to be something very unique.”
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Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

But that wasn’t even the most surprising part. What really caught his attention was the name they used for it.
“What amazed me even more is that they don’t call it a 'race.' They call it an attack. That word alone gives you a clue that this tradition is a continuation of how camels were once used in warfare.”
Later, when he started digging into it — books, old sources, whatever he could find — he came across something unexpected.
“When I looked deeper, through books and historical sources, I discovered something fascinating: the first people to use camels in war were the Medes. That region today is known as Tabuk. So these people were not only the first to fight on camels — they’re also the last to preserve that tradition in this way.”
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Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

The race begins

At some point, Ibrahim did manage to catch one of the races. And it turned out to be nothing like he expected.
He says it was striking — not in a polished or cinematic way, but in the rawness of the desert, the movement of the camels, the focus of the kids leading them. You don’t just watch it, you feel it.
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Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

Ibrahim found out that there are actually two types of races. The one he saw was the so-called attack. But there is another kind they call halal.
When he asked what that meant, they explained it is something different — something ceremonial.
“This one is specific to weddings or celebrations,” he says. “They set up a tent in the desert, and the camels circle the tent ten times. The actual race happens during the 10th round. The groom — or whoever is hosting — prepares gifts for the winners: first place, second place, and sometimes third place.”
And for him, that was the moment it really clicked: this whole world, this entire relationship between humans and camels, isn’t decorative or symbolic. It is woven into daily life — but in a way that feels deeply emotional.
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Photo: Ibrahim Sarhan

Camels and people: a life shared

“Camels are common in Saudi Arabia. But this kind of relationship with camels? It’s rare,” Ibrahin says.
These animals aren’t used for milk, or meat, or beauty shows. No trophies. No production. Just tradition, movement, and companionship.
And outside of formal occasions — especially in the winter — the kids go out with their camels just to be with them. Every day. They ride, they wander into the desert, they sing traditional songs. They don’t need an excuse.
“They live with camels. They celebrate with camels. They cope with sadness with camels. They’re deeply, emotionally attached.”