Al Ain Camel Market

The camel market at Al Ain is a working trading yard rather than an attraction, one of the last of its kind in the country, where camels of every type are penned and sold along with goats and sheep. Trading is loudest in the early morning: animals are walked out, inspected, argued over and loaded into pickups, and buyers come from across the region for racing stock, breeding animals and meat. Visitors are tolerated rather than catered for.

What you actually see

• The trading - shouted negotiation over camels penned along the yard.
• The camel types - racing, breeding and meat animals sold side by side.
• The loading - animals walked into pickups and trailers through the morning.
• The goat and sheep pens - the rest of the livestock trade alongside the camels.

When to go

November to March; early morning is when trading happens and the heat is bearable. It runs daily but is busiest at the start of the week. Fridays are quieter.

Honest expectations

It is a working livestock market, not a show; conditions are dusty and animals are handled as stock. Sellers ask for money in exchange for photographs and can be persistent. There are no facilities and the smell is strong.

Nearby

Al Ain Oasis is west, and Jebel Hafeet is south.