The Beginning of the Real Arab Spring
Originally posted on March 12, 2014
Although the temperature has dropped significantly and it might be still a bit cold for a few more days even in the desert, spring is here. According to the Bedouin - the Arabs - there is only spring if there are plants for their animals to eat. Unfortunately that’s not always the case: for many years, due to a long drought, there was no spring, but last year it has returned. When the plants are big enough to take the animals to graze, many Bedouin move out to their traditional grazing grounds in the desert. First they go and check if plants are growing, and what plants exactly: some are good for sheep and goats, others for camels. If everything is fine, they pack up and go. In the past that was done by camels and on foot, these days pickups are used. They stay in a place as long as there is enough food for their animals, then either move to another area or go back to their settlements. These settlements with the simple brick houses are fairly new, in the past the Bedouin lived in tents all year round - some old people still do, pitching their tents next to their children’s houses. But now it is spring, and many of the Arabs packed everything on their cars to go for spring and live in the desert very much like their ancestors did. By the end of May spring is over, then it is the beginning of the time when animals live on the fruit of the acacia.
Although the temperature has dropped significantly and it might be still a bit cold for a few more days even in the desert, spring is here. According to the Bedouin - the Arabs - there is only spring if there are plants for their animals to eat. Unfortunately that’s not always the case: for many years, due to a long drought, there was no spring, but last year it has returned. When the plants are big enough to take the animals to graze, many Bedouin move out to their traditional grazing grounds in the desert. First they go and check if plants are growing, and what plants exactly: some are good for sheep and goats, others for camels. If everything is fine, they pack up and go. In the past that was done by camels and on foot, these days pickups are used. They stay in a place as long as there is enough food for their animals, then either move to another area or go back to their settlements. These settlements with the simple brick houses are fairly new, in the past the Bedouin lived in tents all year round - some old people still do, pitching their tents next to their children’s houses. But now it is spring, and many of the Arabs packed everything on their cars to go for spring and live in the desert very much like their ancestors did. By the end of May spring is over, then it is the beginning of the time when animals live on the fruit of the acacia.
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