From Ancient Domestication to Modern Solutions: The Camel's Importance in Egypt

Document Type : Review Articles

Authors

1 Fac. of Agric., Cairo Univ.

2 Desert Research Center

3 Animal Production Research Institute

Abstract

First presence of camels was since 40 million years ago in the North American content. In Egypt, camels were domesticated before 2000 B.C. in conjugation with the invasions of both Assyrian and Persian. In ancient Egypt, camels were used in army or journey as the king Alexander III did. Also, king Juba used the camels in 46 B.C. to fight Julius Caesar. Moreover, in 331 B.C. After their domestication in Egypt, camels spread to the Mediterranean coast from Nile Nubia after 1500 B.C. and diffused to North East of Arabia Over time, knowledge of the importance of camels increased, and considering as a sustainable ruminant that help in solving the current and coming challenges such as climate change and the increased demand of animal protein. In this review, the historic origin of camels in Egypt and its uses in the ancient world will be discussed, beside to the current importance of camels in Egypt.

Keywords