Monday 07 / October / 2024
Salalah: After the end of Khareef Dhofar season, camel herders take their livestock for grazing in the wadis that are closed during the khareef.
During this trip, old and young men chant various folk songs. The scene of camels going up the hills is an annual tradition called Camel Khatlah, which is a social and cultural heritage valued by camel owners and herders, which falls during the Sarb (Spring Season).
The camels are moved from the plain areas to the grazing places around the mountains.
Local men and elderly people meet to set the date for Camel Khatlah. The camel owners receive their guests from the various areas from within and outside Dhofar Governorate who gather for this annual tradition.
One of the camel owners said that at the start of the khareef season, they move to the areas least affected by grazing and then move to the Camel Khatlah for maintaining the balance.
When the Sarb Season starts, camel owners ensure the land is dry in the mountain areas in order to start the festival, he added..
On the Camel Khatlah traditions and customs, one of the camel owners said that the camel herders/breeders follow certain social norms and traditions such as making sure the land is dry at the grazing places after ensuring the preservation of plantations, they proceed with the Camel Khatlah.
It depicts the deep-rooted traditions and tells the experiences of the grandfathers and the relation between man and the land during the various seasons of the year in Oman------ONA
