Editing Camel (section)

==Domestication==
[[File:Tomb figurine of a camel, China, Tang dynasty, 618-906 AD, glazed earthenware - Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm - DSC09593.JPG|thumb|A camel carrying supplies, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
[[File:Camello Guimet 01.JPG|thumb|A man on a camel, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
[[File:Tang Pottery Camel & Nursing Woman.jpg|thumb|Woman on a camel breastfeeding, [[Tang dynasty]]]]
Like [[horse]]s, camels originated in North America and eventually spread across [[Beringia]] to Asia. They survived in the Old World, and eventually humans domesticated them and spread them globally. Along with many other megafauna in North America, the original wild camels were wiped out during the spread of the first [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]] from Asia into North America, 10 to 12,000 years ago; although fossils have never been associated with definitive evidence of hunting.<ref name=worboys10 /><ref name=macphee99 />

Most camels surviving today are domesticated.<ref name=fedewa00>{{cite web | last = Fedewa | first = Jennifer L. | title = Camelus bactrianus | work = Animal Diversity Web | access-date = 4 December 2012 | year = 2000 | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Camelus_bactrianus/ | publisher = University of Michigan Museum of Zoology | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130526101843/http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Camelus_bactrianus/ | archive-date = 26 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name=walker09>{{cite news | last = Walker | first = Matt | title = Wild camels 'genetically unique' | newspaper = Earth News | publisher = BBC | access-date = 4 December 2012 | date = 22 July 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8151000/8151804.stm | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811102443/http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8151000/8151804.stm | archive-date = 11 August 2011 }}</ref> Although [[feral]] populations exist in [[Australian feral camel|Australia]], India and Kazakhstan, wild camels survive only in the [[wild Bactrian camel]] population of the [[Gobi Desert]].<ref name="nationalgeo-bactrian" />

===History===

When humans first domesticated camels is disputed. Dromedaries may have first been domesticated by humans in [[Somalia]] or [[South Arabia]] sometime during the [[3rd millennium BC]], the Bactrian in [[central Asia]] around 2,500&nbsp;BC,<ref name="mukasa81">{{cite book | publisher = International Livestock Centre for Africa | volume = 5 | last = Mukasa-Mugerwa | first = E. | title = The Camel (Camelus Dromedarius): A Bibliographical Review | location = Ethiopia | series = International Livestock Centre for Africa Monograph | year = 1981 |pages=1, 3, 20–21, 65, 67–68}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World|first=Chris|last=Scarre|date=15 September 1993|isbn=978-1-56458-305-5|page=176|quote=Both the dromedary (the seven-humped camel of Arabia) and the Bactrian camel (the two-humped camel of Central Asia) had been domesticated since before 2000 BC.|publisher=D. Kindersley|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Camel and the Wheel|first=Richard |last=Bulliet |series=Morningside Book Series |publisher=Columbia University Press |date=20 May 1990 |orig-date=1975 |page=183 |isbn=978-0-231-07235-9|quote=As has already been mentioned, this type of utilization [camels pulling wagons] goes back to the earliest known period of two-humped camel domestication in the third millennium B.C.}}—Note that Bulliet has many more references to early use of camels</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&pg=PA120 |title=Near Eastern Archaeology: A Reader |isbn=9781575060835 |access-date=2016-01-08|last1=Richard |first1=Suzanne |year=2003 |publisher=Eisenbrauns }}</ref> as at Shar-i Sokhta (also known as the Burnt City), [[Iran]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hirst|first=K. Kris|title=Camels|url=http://archaeology.about.com/od/cterms/g/camels.htm|work=About.com Archaeology|access-date=6 February 2014|archive-date=5 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105002229/http://archaeology.about.com/od/cterms/g/camels.htm}}</ref> A study from 2016, which genotyped and used world-wide sequencing of modern and ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), suggested that they were initially domesticated in the southeast Arabian Peninsula,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Almathen |first1=Faisal |last2=Charruau |first2=Pauline |last3=Mohandesan |first3=Elmira |last4=Mwacharo |first4=Joram M. |last5=Orozco-terWengel |first5=Pablo |last6=Pitt |first6=Daniel |last7=Abdussamad |first7=Abdussamad M. |last8=Uerpmann |first8=Margarethe |last9=Uerpmann |first9=Hans-Peter |last10=De Cupere |first10=Bea |last11=Magee |first11=Peter |last12=Alnaqeeb |first12=Majed A. |last13=Salim |first13=Bashir |last14=Raziq |first14=Abdul |last15=Dessie |first15=Tadelle |date=2016-06-14 |title=Ancient and modern DNA reveal dynamics of domestication and cross-continental dispersal of the dromedary |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=113 |issue=24 |pages=6707–6712 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1519508113 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=4914195 |pmid=27162355 |bibcode=2016PNAS..113.6707A |doi-access=free }}</ref> with the Bactrian type later being domesticated around Central Asia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ming |first1=Liang |last2=Yuan |first2=Liyun |last3=Yi |first3=Li |last4=Ding |first4=Guohui |last5=Hasi |first5=Surong |last6=Chen |first6=Gangliang |last7=Jambl |first7=Tuyatsetseg |last8=Hedayat-Evright |first8=Nemat |last9=Batmunkh |first9=Mijiddorj |last10=Badmaevna |first10=Garyaeva Khongr |last11=Gan-Erdene |first11=Tudeviin |last12=Ts |first12=Batsukh |last13=Zhang |first13=Wenbin |last14=Zulipikaer |first14=Azhati |last15=Hosblig |date=2020-01-07 |title=Whole-genome sequencing of 128 camels across Asia reveals origin and migration of domestic Bactrian camels |journal=Communications Biology |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1038/s42003-019-0734-6 |pmid=31925316 |pmc=6946651 |issn=2399-3642|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Martin Heide's 2010 work on the domestication of the camel tentatively concludes that humans had domesticated the Bactrian camel by at least the middle of the third millennium somewhere east of the [[Zagros Mountains]], with the practice then moving into Mesopotamia. Heide suggests that mentions of camels "in the patriarchal narratives may refer, at least in some places, to the Bactrian camel", while noting that the camel is not mentioned in relationship to [[Canaan]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Heide | first1 = Martin | year = 2011 | title = The Domestication of the Camel: Biological, Archaeological and Inscriptional Evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel and Arabia, and Literary Evidence from the Hebrew Bible | journal = Ugarit-Forschungen | volume = 42 | pages = 367–68 | doi =10.13140/2.1.2090.8161 }}</ref> Heide and Joris Peters reasserted that conclusion in their 2021 study on the subject.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Camels in the Biblical World |last1=Heide |first1=Martin |publisher=Penn State Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-64602-169-7 |pages=302 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXM5EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT287 |last2=Peters |first2=Joris}}</ref>

In 2009–2013, excavations in the [[Timna Valley]] by Lidar Sapir-Hen and Erez Ben-Yosef discovered what may be the earliest domestic camel bones yet found in Israel or even outside the [[Arabian Peninsula]], dating to around 930&nbsp;BC. This garnered considerable media coverage, as it is strong evidence that the stories of [[Abraham]], [[Jacob]], [[Esau]], and [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] were [[Historicity of the Bible|written after this time]].<ref name=camels>{{cite news|last= Hasson|first= Nir|title= Hump stump solved: Camels arrived in region much later than biblical reference|url= http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/.premium-1.569091|access-date= 30 January 2014|newspaper= Haaretz|date=Jan 17, 2014|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140130113055/http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/.premium-1.569091|archive-date= 30 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Sapir-Hen 2013 277–285">{{cite journal|last= Sapir-Hen|first= Lidar|author2= Erez Ben-Yosef|title= The Introduction of Domestic Camels to the Southern Levant: Evidence from the Aravah Valley|journal= Tel Aviv|year= 2013|volume= 40|issue= 2|pages= 277–285|url= http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/ben-yosef/pub/Pub_PDFs/Sapir-Hen&Ben-Yosef13_CamelAravah_TelAviv.pdf |access-date= 16 February 2014|doi= 10.1179/033443513x13753505864089|s2cid= 44282748|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140223011636/http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/ben-yosef/pub/Pub_PDFs/Sapir-Hen%26Ben-Yosef13_CamelAravah_TelAviv.pdf|archive-date=23 February 2014}}</ref>

The existence of camels in Mesopotamia—but not in the eastern Mediterranean lands—is not a new idea. The historian [[Richard Bulliet]] did not think that the occasional mention of camels in the Bible meant that the domestic camels were common in the Holy Land at that time.<ref name=Time>{{cite news|last= Dias|first= Elizabeth|title= The Mystery of the Bible's Phantom Camels|url= http://world.time.com/2014/02/11/the-mystery-of-the-bibles-phantom-camels/|access-date= 22 February 2014|newspaper= Time|date =Feb 11, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140215013057/http://world.time.com/2014/02/11/the-mystery-of-the-bibles-phantom-camels/|archive-date= 15 February 2014}}</ref> The archaeologist [[William F. Albright]], writing even earlier, saw camels in the Bible as an [[anachronism]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Heide | first1 = Martin | year = 2011 | title = The Domestication of the Camel: Biological, Archaeological and Inscriptional Evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel and Arabia, and Literary Evidence from the Hebrew Bible | journal = Ugarit-Forschungen | volume = 42 | page = 368 }}</ref>

The official report by Sapir-Hen and Ben-Joseph says:

<blockquote>The introduction of the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) as a pack animal to the [[southern Levant]] ... substantially facilitated trade across the vast deserts of Arabia, promoting both economic and social change (e.g., Kohler 1984; Borowski 1998: 112–116; Jasmin 2005). This ... has generated extensive discussion regarding the date of the earliest domestic camel in the southern Levant (and beyond) (e.g., Albright 1949: 207; Epstein 1971: 558–584; Bulliet 1975; Zarins 1989; Köhler-Rollefson 1993; Uerpmann and Uerpmann 2002; Jasmin 2005; 2006; Heide 2010; Rosen and Saidel 2010; Grigson 2012). Most scholars today agree that the dromedary was exploited as a pack animal sometime in the early [[Iron Age]] (not before the 12th century [BC])</blockquote>

and concludes:

<blockquote>Current data from copper smelting sites of the [[Aravah Valley]] enable us to pinpoint the introduction of domestic camels to the southern Levant more precisely based on stratigraphic contexts associated with an extensive suite of [[Radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon dates]]. The data indicate that this event occurred not earlier than the last third of the 10th century [BC] and most probably during this time. The coincidence of this event with a major reorganization of the copper industry of the region—attributed to the results of the campaign of Pharaoh [[Shoshenq I]]—raises the possibility that the two were connected, and that camels were introduced as part of the efforts to improve efficiency by facilitating trade.<ref name="Sapir-Hen 2013 277–285"/></blockquote>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Camel cart.JPG|alt= A camel harnessed to a cart loaded with branches and twigs|A camel serving as a [[Working animal|draft animal]] in [[Pakistan]] (2009)
File:A camel with its rider playing kettle drums..jpg|alt= A painting of a man sitting on a camel and playing the drums|A camel in a ceremonial procession, its rider playing [[kettledrum]]s, [[Mughal Empire]] (c. 1840)
File:Negev camel petroglyph.jpg|Petroglyph of a camel, [[Negev]], southern [[Israel]] (prior to c. 5300 BC)
File:Bartholomeus Breenbergh 002.jpg|''Joseph Sells Grain'' by [[Bartholomeus Breenbergh]] (1655), showing camel with rider at left
</gallery>

===Textiles===
{{Main|Camel hair}}

Desert tribes and Mongolian nomads use camel hair for tents, [[yurt]]s, clothing, bedding and accessories. Camels have outer guard hairs and soft inner down, and the fibers may also be sorted by color and age of the animal. The guard hairs can be felted for use as waterproof coats for the herdsmen, while the softer hair is used for premium goods.<ref>{{cite book|url= http://www.fao.org/docrep/v9384e/v9384e05.htm|title= Harvesting of textile animal fibres|last= Petrie|first= OJ|publisher= Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|date= 1995|isbn= 978-92-5-103759-1|access-date= 14 March 2017|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170315085646/http://www.fao.org/docrep/v9384e/v9384e05.htm|archive-date= 15 March 2017}}</ref> The fiber can be spun for use in weaving or made into yarns for hand knitting or crochet. Pure camel hair is recorded as being used for [[Western wear|western garments]] from the 17th century onwards, and from the 19th century a mixture of wool and camel hair was used.<ref name="Dictionary of Fashion History">{{cite book|author=Cumming, Valerie |author2=Cunnington, CW |author3=Cunnington, PE |title= The Dictionary of Fashion History|year= 2010|publisher= Bloomsbury|location= Oxford | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=glBf_El4Qd4C |isbn= 9781847887382}}</ref>

===Military uses===
{{Main|Camel cavalry}}
[[File:BSF-Republic day.jpeg|thumb|A special [[Border Security Force|BSF]] [[Border Security Force Camel Band|camel contingent]], [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day Parade]], New Delhi (2004)]]
[[File:Camel corps at Magdhaba.jpg|thumb|alt=A painting of soldiers on camels|''[[Bikaner Camel Corps|Camel Corps]] at [[Battle of Magdhaba|Magdhaba]]'', Egypt, 23 December 1916, by [[Harold Septimus Power]] (1925)]]

By at least 1200&nbsp;BC the first camel saddles had appeared, and [[Bactrian camels]] could be ridden. The first saddle was positioned to the back of the camel, and control of the Bactrian camel was exercised by means of a stick. However, between 500 and 100&nbsp;BC, Bactrian camels came into military use. New saddles, which were inflexible and bent, were put over the humps and divided the rider's weight over the animal. In the seventh century BC the military Arabian saddle evolved, which again improved the saddle design slightly.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last= Fagan|editor-first= Brian M|editor-link= Brian M. Fagan|year= 2004|title= The Seventy Great Inventions of the Ancient World|chapter= Transportation|location= London|publisher= Thames & Hudson|pages= [https://archive.org/details/seventygreatinve0000unse/page/150 150–152]|isbn= 978-0-500-05130-6|chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/seventygreatinve0000unse/page/150}}{{Page needed|date= February 2011}}</ref><!--pagenum inserted based not on access, but on toc pdf http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/exlibris/aleph/a20_1/apache_media/ANYEH2GP3D4Q8URFJ1NSG164SB2NAU.pdf--><ref name="Teller_2012">{{cite magazine| last= Baum| first= Doug| date= 1 November 2018| title= The Art of Saddling a Camel| url= http://www.aramcoworld.com/en-US/Articles/November-2018/The-Art-of-Saddling-A-Camel?page=9| magazine= Saudi Aramco World| access-date= 10 December 2018| archive-date= 10 December 2018| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181210202718/http://www.aramcoworld.com/en-US/Articles/November-2018/The-Art-of-Saddling-A-Camel?page=9| url-status= dead}}</ref>

Military forces have used [[Camel cavalry|camel cavalries]] in wars throughout Africa, the Middle East, and their use continues into the modern-day within the [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) of [[India]]. The first documented use of camel cavalries occurred in the [[Battle of Qarqar]] in 853&nbsp;BC.<ref name=gabriel07>{{cite book | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | isbn = 9780313333484 | last = Gabriel | first = Richard A. | title = Soldiers' Lives Through History: The Ancient World | year = 2007 |page= xvi }}</ref><ref name=bhatia12>{{cite news | last = Bhatia | first = Vimal | title = BSF to ditch camels to ride sand scooters | work = The Times of India | access-date = 4 December 2012 | date = 23 July 2012 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BSF-to-ditch-camels-to-ride-sand-scooters/articleshow/15099086.cms | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120723172835/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BSF-to-ditch-camels-to-ride-sand-scooters/articleshow/15099086.cms | archive-date = 23 July 2012 }}</ref><ref name=gann72>{{cite book | publisher = University Press of America | isbn = 9780761815204 | last1 = Gann | first1 = Lewis Henry | first2 = Peter | last2 = Duignan | title = Africa and the World: An Introduction to the History of Sub-Saharan Africa from Antiquity to 1840 | year = 1972 | page = [https://archive.org/details/africaworldintro00gann/page/156 156] | quote = The camel was acclimatized in Egypt long before the time of Christ and was subsequently adopted by the Berbers of the desert, who used camel cavalry to fight the Romans. The Berbers spread the use of the camel across the Sahara. | url = https://archive.org/details/africaworldintro00gann/page/156 }}</ref> Armies have also used camels as freight animals instead of horses and mules.<ref name=fleming09>{{cite news | issn = 0161-7370 | volume = 74 | issue = 8 | publisher = Bonnier Corporation | first = Walter L. | last = Fleming | title = Jefferson Davis's Camel Experiment | work = The Popular Science Monthly | date = February 1909 | page = 150 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DyADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA150 | quote = Other trials of the camel were made in 1859 by Major D. H. Vinton, who used twenty-four of them in carrying burdens for a surveying party...All in all, he concluded, the camel was much superior to the mule. | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160504180151/https://books.google.com/books?id=DyADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA150 | archive-date = 2016-05-04 }}</ref><ref name=mantz06>{{cite book | publisher = Heritage House Publishing Co | isbn = 9781894384018 | pages = 51–54 | editor-first = Garnet | editor-last = Basque | last = Mantz | first = John | title = Frontier Days in British Columbia | chapter = Camels in the Cariboo | date = 20 April 2006 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fecJGyNKtwoC&pg=PA51 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160624015054/https://books.google.com/books?id=fecJGyNKtwoC&pg=PA51 | archive-date = 24 June 2016 }}</ref>

The [[East Roman Empire]] used [[Auxiliaries (Roman military)|auxiliary]] forces known as ''[[dromedarii]]'', whom the Romans recruited in desert provinces.<ref name=southern07>{{cite book | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 9780195328783 | last = Southern | first = Pat | title = The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History | date = 1 October 2007 | page = [https://archive.org/details/romanarmysociali00sout_0/page/123 123] | url = https://archive.org/details/romanarmysociali00sout_0/page/123 }}</ref><ref name=nicolle91>{{cite book | edition = illustrated, reprint | publisher = Osprey Publishing | isbn = 9781855321663 | volume = 5 | last = Nicolle | first = David | title = The Desert Frontier | series = Rome's Enemies | date = 26 March 1991 |page= 4 |quote= Nevertheless the military prowess of desert peoples impressed the Romans, who recruited large numbers as auxiliary cavalry and archers. In addition to providing the Roman Army with its best archers, the Easterners (largely Arabs but generally known as 'Syrians') served as Rome's most effective ''dromedarii'' or camel-mounted troops.}}</ref> The camels were used mostly in combat because of their ability to scare off horses at close range (horses are afraid of the camels' scent),<ref name=sandiegozoo /> a quality famously employed by the [[Achaemenid]] Persians when fighting [[Lydia]] in the [[Battle of Thymbra]] (547&nbsp;BC).<ref name=potts/><ref name=herodotus>{{cite book | author = Herodotus |date=440 | translator-last1= Rawlinson |translator-first1=George |via=The Internet Classics Archive | title = The History of Herodotus | access-date = 4 December 2012 | url = http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.html | quote = He collected together all the camels that had come in the train of his army to carry the provisions and the baggage, and taking off their loads, he mounted riders upon them accoutred as horsemen. These he commanded to advance in front of his other troops against the Lydian horse; behind them were to follow the foot soldiers, and last of all the cavalry. When his arrangements were complete, he gave his troops orders to slay all the other Lydians who came in their way without mercy, but to spare Croesus and not kill him, even if he should be seized and offer resistance. The reason why Cyrus opposed his camels to the enemy's horse was because the horse has a natural dread of the camel, and cannot abide either the sight or the smell of that animal. By this stratagem he hoped to make Croesus's horse useless to him, the horse being what he chiefly depended on for victory. The two armies then joined battle, and immediately the Lydian war-horses, seeing and smelling the camels, turned round and galloped off; and so it came to pass that all Croesus's hopes withered away. | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121201230133/http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.html | archive-date = 1 December 2012 }}</ref><ref name="historygroup-nz">{{cite web | publisher = History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage | title = Cameliers and camels at war | work = New Zealand History online | access-date = 5 December 2012 | date = 30 August 2009 | url = http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316110701/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | archive-date = 16 March 2012 }}</ref>

====19th and 20th centuries====
[[File:Camels on the way to Catalca, 1912.jpg|thumb|alt= A photo of Bulgarian military-transport camels in 1912|A [[camel train|camel caravan]] of the [[Military of Bulgaria|Bulgarian military]] during the [[First Balkan War]], 1912]]

The [[United States Army]] established the [[U.S. Camel Corps]], stationed in [[California]], in the 19th century.<ref name=sandiegozoo /> One may still see stables at the [[Benicia Arsenal]] in [[Benicia, California]], where they nowadays serve as the Benicia Historical Museum.<ref name="military-museum">{{cite web | publisher = The California State Military Museum | title = The Posts at Benicia | access-date = 4 December 2012 | url = http://www.militarymuseum.org/Benicia.html | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120928195539/http://www.militarymuseum.org/Benicia.html | archive-date = 28 September 2012 }}</ref> Though the experimental use of camels was seen as a success ([[John B. Floyd]], [[Secretary of War]] in 1858, recommended that funds be allocated towards obtaining a thousand more camels), the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]] in 1861 saw the end of the Camel Corps: Texas became part of the Confederacy, and most of the camels were left to wander away into the desert.<ref name=mantz06 />

France created a ''[[méhariste]]'' camel corps in 1912 as part of the [[Army of Africa (France)|Armée d'Afrique]] in the Sahara<ref name="musee-de-l">{{cite web | publisher = Musée de l'infanterie | title = Vitrine N° 108 (partie droite): LES PELOTONS MEHARISTES | access-date = 5 December 2012 | url = http://www.musee-infanterie.com/vitrine/114-vitrine-n-108-partie-droite--les-pelotons-meharistes | language = fr | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130526202745/http://www.musee-infanterie.com/vitrine/114-vitrine-n-108-partie-droite--les-pelotons-meharistes | archive-date = 26 May 2013 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> in order to exercise greater control over the camel-riding [[Tuareg]] and Arab insurgents, as previous efforts to defeat them on foot had failed.<ref name=brucehall>{{cite book | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 9781107002876 | last = Hall | first = Bruce S. | title = A History of Race in Muslim West Africa, 1600–1960 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyracemusli00hall | url-access = limited | date = 6 June 2011 |page = [https://archive.org/details/historyracemusli00hall/page/n162 143]}}</ref> The [[Free French Camel Corps]] fought during [[World War II]], and camel-mounted units remained in service until the end of French rule over Algeria in 1962.<ref name=guillaume12>{{cite news|last= Guillaume |first= Philippe |title= L'incroyable épopée des méharistes français |trans-title=The incredible epic of the French méharistes |newspaper= BDSphère |access-date= 5 December 2012 |date= 16 June 2012 |url= http://www.bdsphere.fr/2012/06/16/lincroyable-epopee-des-meharistes-francais/ |language= fr |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130522103746/http://www.bdsphere.fr/2012/06/16/lincroyable-epopee-des-meharistes-francais/ |archive-date= 22 May 2013 }}</ref>

In 1916, the British created the [[Imperial Camel Corps]]. It was originally used to fight the [[Senussi]], but was later used in the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] in [[World War I]]. The Imperial Camel Corps comprised infantrymen mounted on camels for movement across desert, though they dismounted at battle sites and fought on foot. After July 1918, the Corps began to become run down, receiving no new reinforcements, and was formally disbanded in 1919.<ref name="historygroup-nz-pages">{{cite web | publisher = History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage | title = Cameliers and camels at war | work = New Zealand History online | access-date = 5 December 2012 | date = 30 August 2009 | url = http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | pages = 1, 2, 4, 5 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316110701/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/camel-corps | archive-date = 16 March 2012 }}</ref>

In World War I, the British Army also created the [[Egyptian Camel Transport Corps]], which consisted of a group of Egyptian camel drivers and their camels. The Corps supported British war operations in [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], Palestine, and Syria by transporting supplies to the troops.<ref name=woodward06 >{{cite book | publisher = University Press of Kentucky | isbn = 9780813123837 | last = Woodward | first = David R. | title = Hell in the Holy Land: World War I in the Middle East | url = https://archive.org/details/hellholylandworl00wood | url-access = limited | year = 2006 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/hellholylandworl00wood/page/n50 36], 39, 43, 56, 133}}</ref><ref name=murray20>{{cite book | publisher = J.M. Dent | last = Murray | first = Archibald James | title = Sir Archibald Murray's despatches (June 1916 – June 1917) | year = 1920 | url = https://archive.org/details/sirarchibaldmur00murrgoog | page = [https://archive.org/details/sirarchibaldmur00murrgoog/page/n155 123] | quote = A great deal of the work of supplying the troops on both fronts has been done by the Camel Transport Corps }}</ref><ref name=mcgregor06>{{cite book | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | isbn = 9780275986018 | last = McGregor | first = Andrew James | title = A Military History of Modern Egypt: From the Ottoman Conquest to the Ramadan War | date = 30 May 2006 | page = [https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00andr/page/215 215] | url = https://archive.org/details/militaryhistoryo00andr/page/215 }}</ref>

The [[Somaliland Camel Corps]] was created by colonial authorities in [[British Somaliland]] in 1912; it was disbanded in 1944.<ref name=fedresearchdiv04>{{cite book| edition = 3rd| publisher = Kessinger Publishing| isbn = 9781419147999| author = Federal Research Division| title = Somalia a Country Study| series = Area handbook series| date = 30 June 2004 | pages = 230–231}}</ref>

Bactrian camels were used by Romanian forces during [[World War II]] in the Caucasian region.<ref name="wwii-color">{{cite web|url=http://www.ww2incolor.com/Romanian+Forces/F_32844_l.html|title=Romanian troops using camels|work=WWII in Color|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054749/http://www.ww2incolor.com/Romanian+Forces/F_32844_l.html|archive-date=2013-09-21}}</ref> At the same period the Soviet units operating around [[Astrakhan]] in 1942 adopted local camels as draft animals due to shortage of trucks and horses, and kept them even after moving out of the area. Despite severe losses, some of these camels ended up as far west as to [[Battle of Berlin|Berlin itself]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://warhead.su/2020/03/02/nash-sovetskiy-verblyud-pokaraet|title=Наш советский верблюд покарает!|date=March 2, 2020|website=WARHEAD.SU|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319171527/https://warhead.su/2020/03/02/nash-sovetskiy-verblyud-pokaraet|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Bikaner Camel Corps]] of [[British India]] fought alongside the [[British Indian Army]] in World Wars I and II.<ref name=indianetzone>{{cite news <!--cite web--> | last = Jupiter Infomedia Ltd| title = Bikaner Camel Corps, Presidency Armies in British India| work = IndiaNetzone| date = 28 November 2012<!--| access-date = 1 January 2015| url = http://www.indianetzone.com/64/bikaner_camel_corps.htm-->}}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The ''[[Tropas Nómadas]]'' (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment of [[Sahrawi people|Sahrawi]] tribesmen serving in the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today [[Western Sahara]]). Operational from the 1930s until the end of the Spanish presence in the territory in 1975, the ''Tropas Nómadas'' were equipped with small arms and led by Spanish officers. The unit guarded outposts and sometimes conducted patrols on camelback.<!--Mainly info from "Tropas Nómadas" Wikipedia page, some info confirmed by the following references--><ref name=shelley07>{{cite journal| last = Shelley| first = Toby| title = Sons of the Clouds| journal = Red Pepper| access-date = 6 December 2012| date = December 2007| url = http://www.redpepper.org.uk/sons-of-the-clouds/| location = Location| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130520202141/http://www.redpepper.org.uk/sons-of-the-clouds/| archive-date = 20 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=hermandad>{{cite web|author=Hermandad de Veteranos Tropas Nómadas del Sáhara |work=Historia: Agrupación de Tropas Nómadas |title=Los Medios |trans-title=The Means |access-date=6 December 2012 |url=http://hermandadtropasnomadas.com/historia2-11.html |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055249/http://hermandadtropasnomadas.com/historia2-11.html |archive-date=21 September 2013 }}</ref>

====21st century competition====
The annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is held in Saudi Arabia. In addition to camel racing and camel milk tasting, the festival holds a camel "[[beauty pageant]]" with prize money of $57m (£40m). In 2018, 12 camels were disqualified from the beauty contest after their owners were found to have injected them with [[botox]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42802901 |title=Camels banned from Saudi beauty contest over Botox |work=BBC News |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=26 August 2021 }}</ref> In a similar incident in 2021, over 40 camels were disqualified.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Abigail |title=Over 40 Camels Disqualified From Beauty Contest in Saudi Arabia For Receiving Botox Injections |url=https://people.com/pets/over-40-camels-disqualified-from-beauty-contest-for-botox/ |work=PEOPLE.com |date=9 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

===Food uses===
Camel meat and milk are foods that are found in many cuisines, typically in [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]], [[North African cuisine|North African]] and some [[Australian cuisine]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.windyhills.com.au/wild-camel/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822210603/http://windyhills.com.au/wild-camel/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 22, 2016 | title=Wild Camel – Windy Hills }}</ref><ref name="Burin2015"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/are-there-camels-in-australia | title=Australia's Growing Camel Meat Trade Reveals a Hidden History of Early Muslim Migrants | date=16 May 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.samex.com.au/our-products/camel/ | title=SAMEX : Australian Meat Exporters }}</ref> Camels provide food in the form of meat and milk.<ref>Tariq, M., Rabia, R., Jamil, A., Sakhwat, A., Aadil, A., & Muhammad S., 2010. Minerals and Nutritional Composition of Camel (Camelus Dromedarius) Meat in Pakistan. Journal- Chemical Society of Pakistan, Vol 33(6).</ref>

====Dairy====
{{Main|Camel milk}}
[[File:Khan al-Lajjun.jpg|right|thumb|Camels at the Khan and old bridge, [[Lajjun]], [[Ottoman Syria]] (now in [[Israel]]) - 1870s drawing]]
[[File:Camelcalf-feeding.jpg|right|thumb|A camel calf nursing on [[camel milk]]]]

Camel milk is a [[staple food]] of desert nomad tribes and is sometimes considered a meal itself; a nomad can live on only camel milk for almost a month.<ref name=sandiegozoo /><ref name=davidson06 /><ref name=bulliet75>{{cite book | publisher = Columbia University Press | isbn = 9780231072359 | last = Bulliet | first = Richard W. | title = The Camel and the Wheel | url = https://archive.org/details/camelwheel0000bull | url-access = registration | year = 1975 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/camelwheel0000bull/page/23 23], 25, 28, 35–36, 38–40}}</ref><ref name=fao12>{{cite web| publisher = FAO's Animal Production and Health Division| title = Camel Milk| work = Milk & Dairy Products| access-date = 6 December 2012| date = 25 September 2012| url = http://www.fao.org/AG/AGAInfo/themes/en/dairy/camel.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121101015011/http://www.fao.org/AG/AGAInfo/themes/en/dairy/camel.html| archive-date = 1 November 2012}}</ref>

Camel milk can readily be made into [[yogurt]], but can only be made into [[butter]] if it is soured first, churned, and a [[clarifying agent]] is then added.<ref name=sandiegozoo /> Until recently, camel milk could not be made into [[camel milk|camel cheese]] because [[rennet]] was unable to coagulate the milk proteins to allow the collection of [[curd]]s.<ref name="ramet-making">{{cite book|title=Camel milk and cheese making|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/T0755E/t0755e02.htm|last=Ramet|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624013724/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0755e/t0755e02.htm|archive-date=2012-06-24}}</ref> Developing less wasteful uses of the milk, the [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] commissioned Professor J.P. Ramet of the [[École Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires]], who was able to produce curdling by the addition of [[calcium phosphate]] and vegetable rennet in the 1990s.<ref name=fao06>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/highlights/2001/010701-e.htm|title=Fresh from your local drome'dairy'?|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization|date=6 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126122946/http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/highlights/2001/010701-e.htm|archive-date=26 January 2012}}</ref> The cheese produced from this process has low levels of cholesterol and is easy to digest, even for the lactose intolerant.<ref name="ramet-processing">{{cite book|title=Methods of processing camel milk into cheese|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/T0755E/t0755e04.htm|last=Ramet|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624013729/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0755e/t0755e04.htm|archive-date=2012-06-24}}</ref><ref name=young>{{cite web| last = Young| first = Philippa| title = In Mongolian the Word 'Gobi' Means 'Desert'| access-date = 6 December 2012| url = http://philippayoung.com/?tag=camelcheese&page=2| quote = As evening approaches we are offered camel meat boats, dumplings stuffed with a finely chopped mixture of meat and vegetables, followed by camel milk tea and finally, warm fresh camel's milk to aid digestion and help us sleep.| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130303111456/http://philippayoung.com/?tag=camelcheese&page=2| archive-date = 3 March 2013}}</ref>

Camel milk can also be made into [[ice cream]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15589766 |title=Netherlands' 'crazy' camel farmer |publisher=BBC |date=5 November 2011 |access-date=7 November 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106232703/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15589766 |archive-date=6 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/food/al-ain-dairy-launches-camel-milk-ice-cream-1.637218|title=Al Ain Dairy launches camel-milk ice cream|website=The National|date=26 March 2015|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>

====Meat====
{{anchor|Camel meat}}
[[File:Somalicamelmeat.jpg|thumb|A [[Somali people|Somali]] camel meat and rice dish]]
[[File:Cholistani Camel Meat Pulao.JPG|thumb|Camel meat [[Pilaf|pulao]], from Pakistan]]
Approximately 3.3 million camels and camelids are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL|title=FAOSTAT|website=www.fao.org|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref> A camel carcass can provide a substantial amount of meat. The male dromedary carcass can weigh {{convert|300|–|400|kg|lb|0|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}, while the carcass of a male Bactrian can weigh up to {{convert|650|kg|lb|0|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}. The carcass of a female dromedary weighs less than the male, ranging between {{convert|250|and|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=mukasa81 /> The brisket, ribs and loin are among the preferred parts, and the hump is considered a delicacy.<ref name="yagil-camelother">{{cite book|title=Camels Products Other Than Milk|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/X6528E/X6528E06.htm|last=Yagil|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220185807/http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6528E/X6528E06.htm|archive-date=2011-02-20}}</ref> The hump contains "white and sickly fat", which can be used to make the ''khli'' (preserved meat) of mutton, beef, or camel.<ref name=madame03>{{cite book|title=Traditional Moroccan Cooking: Recipes from Fez|author=Madame Guinaudeau|publisher=Serif|location=London|year=2003|isbn=978-1-897959-43-5}}</ref> On the other hand, camel milk and meat are rich in protein, vitamins, glycogen, and other nutrients making them essential in the diet of many people. From chemical composition to meat quality, the dromedary camel is the preferred breed for meat production. It does well even in arid areas due to its unusual physiological behaviors and characteristics, which include tolerance to extreme temperatures, radiation from the sun, water paucity, rugged landscape and low vegetation.<ref>Aleme, A., D., 2013. A Review of Camel Meat as a Precious Source of Nutrition in some part of Ethiopia. Agricultural Science, Engineering and Technology Research. Vol. 1, No. 4, December 2013, PP: 40–43. Available online at {{cite web|url=http://asetr.org/ |title=Agricultural Science, Engineering and Technology Research |access-date=2016-12-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203133425/http://asetr.org/ |archive-date=2016-12-03}}.</ref> Camel meat is reported to taste like coarse beef, but older camels can prove to be very tough,<ref name=camello /><ref name=mukasa81 /> although camel meat becomes tenderer the more it is cooked.<ref name=rubenstein10>{{cite news| last = Rubenstein| first = Dustin| title = How to Cook Camel| newspaper = The New York Times| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 23 July 2010| url = http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/how-to-cook-camel/| quote = He cut the pieces very small and cooked them for a long time. I decided to try something a bit different the following night and cut the pieces a bit bigger and cooked them for less time, as I like my meat rarer than he does. This was a bad idea. It seems that the more you cook camel, the more tender it becomes. So we had what amounted to two pounds or more of rubber for dinner that night.| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121019192428/http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/how-to-cook-camel/| archive-date = 19 October 2012}}</ref>

Camel is one of the animals that can be ritually slaughtered and divided into three portions (one for the home, one for extended family/social networks, and one for those who cannot afford to slaughter an animal themselves) for the [[Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice)|qurban]] of [[Eid al-Adha]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-01 |title=Eid al-Adha: More than just slaughtering animals |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2017/09/01/eid-al-adha-more-than-just-slaughtering-animals |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=Daily Sabah}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Qurbani Meat Distribution Rules |url=https://www.muslimaid.org/what-we-do/religious-dues/qurbani/qurbani-rules/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=Muslim Aid |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Abu Dhabi]] Officers' Club serves a camel burger mixed with beef or lamb fat in order to improve the texture and taste.<ref name="arthur12">{{cite news| last = Arthur| first = Rick| title = The Instant Expert: camels, the ships of the desert| newspaper = The National| date = 4 January 2012 | location=UAE|publisher=Abu Dhabi Media|quote=As the meat can be dry, however, the Abu Dhabi Officer's Club, for one, serves camel burger with beef or lamb fat mixed in, improving texture and taste.}}</ref> In [[Karachi, Pakistan]], some restaurants prepare [[nihari]] from camel meat.<ref name="jasra00">{{cite book| publisher = The Camel Applied Research and Development Network| last1 = Jasra| first1 = Abdel Wahid| first2 = G. B.| last2 = Isani| author3 = Camel Applied Research and Development Network| title = Socio-economics of camel herders in Pakistan| year = 2000| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aRRJAAAAYAAJ&q=nihari+camel+pakistan| page = 164| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160610122525/https://books.google.com/books?id=aRRJAAAAYAAJ&q=nihari+camel+pakistan&dq=nihari+camel+pakistan| archive-date = 2016-06-10}}</ref> Specialist camel butchers provide expert cuts, with the hump considered the most popular.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/apr/16/camel-meat-one-hump-two Anyone for camel meat? One hump or two?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126234058/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/apr/16/camel-meat-one-hump-two |date=2017-01-26 }}[[The Guardian]], Word of Mouth</ref>

Camel meat has been eaten for centuries. It has been recorded by [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] writers as an available dish at banquets in ancient [[Persia]], usually roasted whole.<ref name=sherwood12 /> The [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] emperor [[Elagabalus|Heliogabalus]] enjoyed camel's heel.<ref name=davidson06>{{cite book| edition = 2nd| publisher = Oxford University Press, US| isbn = 978-0192806819| last1 = Davidson| first1 = Alan| first2 = Jane|last2= Davidson| editor-first = Tom |editor-last = Jaine| title = The Oxford Companion to Food| date = 15 October 2006 | pages=68, 129, 266, 762}}</ref> Camel meat is mainly eaten in certain regions, including [[Eritrea]], [[Somalia]], [[Djibouti]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], [[Libya]], [[Sudan]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Kazakhstan]], and other arid regions where alternative forms of protein may be limited or where camel meat has had a long cultural history.<ref name=mukasa81 /><ref name=davidson06 /><ref name="yagil-camelother" /> Camel blood is also consumable, as is the case among pastoralists in northern [[Kenya]], where camel blood is drunk with milk and acts as a key source of [[iron]], [[vitamin D]], salts and minerals.<ref name=mukasa81 /><ref name="yagil-camelother" /><ref name=cnn10>{{cite news| last = Webster| first = George| title = Dubai diners flock to eat new 'camel burger'| work = CNN World| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 9 February 2010| url = http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/09/camel.burgers.dubai/index.html| publisher = CNN| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130929093119/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/09/camel.burgers.dubai/index.html| archive-date = 29 September 2013}}</ref>

A 2005 report issued jointly by the Saudi [[Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia)|Ministry of Health]] and the United States [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] details four cases of human [[bubonic plague]] resulting from the ingestion of raw camel liver.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Abdulaziz A. |last1=Bin Saeed |first2=Nasser A. |last2=Al-Hamdan |first3=Robert E. |last3=Fontaine |title=Plague from eating raw camel liver|pmid=16229781 |year=2005 |pages=1456–7 |issue=9 |volume=11 |journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases |pmc=3310619 |doi=10.3201/eid1109.050081}}</ref>

Camel meat is also occasionally found in [[Australian cuisine]]: for example, a camel [[lasagna]] is available in [[Alice Springs]].<ref name=sherwood12>{{cite news| last = Sherwood| first = Andy| title = Camel burgers in Abu Dhabi| work = Time Out Abu Dhabi| access-date = 7 December 2012| date = 17 September 2012| url = http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/restaurants/features/35060-camel-burgers-in-abu-dhabi/page/2#.UMIy67ZjyFA| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130927194204/http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/restaurants/features/35060-camel-burgers-in-abu-dhabi/page/2#.UMIy67ZjyFA| archive-date = 27 September 2013}}</ref><ref name=cnn10 /> Australia has exported camel meat, primarily to the [[Middle East]] but also to Europe and the US, for many years.<ref>{{cite web | last=McBride | first=Louise | title=SA hits world camel meat supply hump | website=Stock Journal | date=14 June 2010 | url=http://www.stockjournal.com.au/story/3652303/sa-hits-world-camel-meat-supply-hump/ | access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> The meat is very popular among [[African Australians|East African Australians]], such as [[Somalis]], and other Australians have also been buying it. The feral nature of the animals means they produce a different type of meat to farmed camels in other parts of the world,<ref name="Burin2015">{{cite news | last=Burin | first=Margaret | title=Australians urged to develop taste for camel meat | website=ABC News | date=7 August 2015 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-07/camel-meat-halal-butcher-sold-here/6663716 | access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> and it is sought after because it is disease-free, and a unique genetic group. Demand is outstripping supply, and governments are being urged not to cull the camels, but redirect the cost of the cull into developing the market. Australia has seven camel dairies, which produce milk, cheese and skincare products in addition to meat.<ref name=landline>{{cite news | first=Halina |last=Bazckowski | title=The beasts that beat the drought: Camels sought after for meat, milk and cheese | website=ABC News | date=22 March 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-22/camel-meat-and-dairy-sought-after-internationally/12070310 | access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref>

===Religion===

====Islam====
{{main|Animals in Islam}}
[[Muslims]] consider camel meat ''[[halal]]'' ({{langx|ar|حلال}}, 'allowed'). However, according to some [[Islamic schools and branches|Islamic schools of thought]], a state of impurity is brought on by the consumption of it. Consequently, these schools hold that Muslims must perform ''[[wudhu]]'' (ablution) before the next time they [[Salat|pray]] after eating camel meat.<ref name="purification">{{cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/abudawud/001.sat.html#001.0184|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716145540/http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/abudawud/001.sat.html#001.0184|archive-date=16 July 2011|series=Partial Translation of [[Sunan Abu-Dawud]], Book 1|work=Purification (Kitab al-Taharah)|title= Book 1, Number 0184|publisher= Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement|quote=Narrated [[Al-Bara' ibn Azib]]: The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was asked about performing ablution after eating the flesh of the camel. He replied: Perform ablution, after eating it. He was asked about performing ablution after eating meat. He replied: Do not perform ablution after eating it. He was asked about saying prayer in places where the camels lie down. He replied: Do not offer prayer in places where the camels lie down. These are the places of Satan. He was asked about saying prayer in the sheepfolds. He replied: You may offer prayer in such places; these are the places of blessing.}}</ref> Also, some Islamic schools of thought consider it ''[[haram]]'' ({{langx|ar|حرام}}, 'forbidden') for a Muslim to perform ''[[Salat]]'' in places where camels lie, as it is said to be a dwelling place of the ''[[Devil (Islam)|Shaytan]]'' ({{langx|ar|شيطان}}, '[[Devil]]').<ref name="purification"/> According to [[Abu Yusuf]] (d.798), the [[camel urine|urine of camels]] may be used for medical treatment if necessary, but according to [[Abū Ḥanīfa]]h, the drinking of camel urine is discouraged.<ref name="alden">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=John Alden|title=The Word of Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rAj-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA98|access-date=25 October 2016|year=1994|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-79076-6|page=98|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408182755/https://books.google.com/books?id=rAj-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA98|archive-date=8 April 2017}}</ref>

Islamic texts contain several stories featuring camels. In the story of the people of [[Thamud]], the prophet [[Salih]] miraculously brings forth a ''[[She-Camel of God|naqat]]'' ({{langx|ar|ناقة}}, '[[milch-camel]]') out of a rock. After [[Muhammad]] migrated from [[Mecca]] to [[Medina]] (the [[Hijrah]]), he allowed [[Qaswa|his she-camel]] to roam there; the location where the camel stopped to rest determined the location where he would build his house in Medina.<ref>Campo, Juan Eduardo (2009). ''Encyclopedia of Islam''. [[Infobase Publishing]]. p. 128.</ref>

====Judaism====
{{see also|Food and drink prohibitions}}

According to [[Jewish]] tradition, camel meat and milk are not [[kosher]].<ref name=heinemen>{{cite web| last = Heinemann| first = Moshe| publisher = Star-K| title = Cholov Yisroel: Does a Neshama Good| work = Kashrus Kurrents| access-date = 4 May 2017| url = http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/1179/cholov-yisroel-does-a-neshama-good/| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170430215725/http://www.star-k.org/articles/articles/1179/cholov-yisroel-does-a-neshama-good/| archive-date = 30 April 2017| date = 2013-08-20}}</ref> Camels possess only one of the two [[kosher foods|kosher criteria]]; although they [[Ruminant|chew their cud]], they do not have [[Cloven hoof|cloven hooves]]: "But these you shall not eat among those that bring up the cud and those that have a cloven hoof: the camel, because it brings up its cud, but does not have a [completely] cloven hoof; it is unclean for you."<ref>
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9912#v=41 {{webarchive
 |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150207151838/http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9912
 |date= 2015-02-07
}}
</ref>

The Palestinian Muslim [[Makhamra family|Makhamara clan]] in [[Yatta, Hebron|Yatta]], who claim descent from Jews, reportedly avoid eating camel meat, a practice cited as evidence of their Jewish origins.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Ben-Zvi |first=Itzhak |title=שאר ישוב: מאמרים ופרקים בדברי ימי הישוב העברי בא"י ובחקר המולדת |publisher=none |year=1967 |location=תל אביב תרפ"ז |pages=407–413 |language=Hebrew |trans-title=She'ar Yeshuv |author-link=Yitzhak Ben-Zvi}}</ref><ref name=":42">{{Cite web |last=Sar-Avi |first=Doron |date=2019 |title=מניין באו הערבים 'היהודים'? |url=https://segulamag.com/articles/%d7%9e%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%91%d7%90%d7%95-%d7%94%d7%a2%d7%a8%d7%91%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%94%d7%99%d7%94%d7%95%d7%93%d7%99%d7%9d/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=Segula Magazine}}</ref>

===Cultural depictions===
What may be the oldest carvings of camels were discovered in 2018 in Saudi Arabia. They were analysed by researchers from several scientific disciplines and, in 2021, were estimated to be 7,000 to 8,000 years old.<ref>''[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58570259 Saudi Arabia camel carvings dated to prehistoric era] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101210500/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58570259 |date=2022-11-01 }}'', BBC, September 15, 2021</ref> The dating of [[rock art]] is made difficult by the lack of organic material in the carvings that may be tested, so the researchers attempting to date them tested animal bones found associated with the carvings, assessed erosion patterns, and analysed tool marks in order to determine a correct date for the creation of the sculptures. This [[Neolithic]] dating would make the carvings significantly older than Stonehenge (5,000 years old) and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza (4,500 years old) and it predates estimates for the domestication of camels.

<gallery widths="180" heights="220">
File:Shadda (detail), Karabagh region, southwest Caucasus.jpeg|Shadda (cover,detail), Karabagh region, southwest Caucasus, early 19th century
File:Vessel in the Form of a Recumbent Camel with Jugs, 2015.65.15.jpg|Vessel in the form of a recumbent camel with jugs, 250 BC – 224 AD, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Brooklyn Museum - Maru Ragini (Dhola and Maru riding on a Camel).jpg|''Maru Ragini'' (''Dhola and Maru Riding on a Camel)'', c. 1750, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Brooklyn Museum - The Magi Journeying (Les rois mages en voyage) - James Tissot - overall.jpg|''The Magi Journeying'' (''Les rois mages en voyage'')—James Tissot, c. 1886, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:KiplingCamel3.gif|''How the Camel Got His Hump'' (From [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[Just So Stories]]'')
</gallery>