Home UNESCO Lists Intangible Cultural Heritage Alheda’a, Oral Traditions of Calling Camel Flocks

Alheda’a, Oral Traditions of Calling Camel Flocks

Alheda’a is an oral polyphonic expression accompanied by gestures and movements performed by herders while playing their musical instruments in order to communicate with their camels. The herders get inspired by this form of polyphonic expression from poetry and use their own set of sounds that camels are accustomed to.
Alheda’a is also used for camels swiftly assembling quickly in case there is immediate danger. This practice is transmitted within families and communities, and it helps establish a strong bond between the camels and their herders, and even between the herders themselves.

Alheda’a, Oral Traditions of Calling Camel Flocks was inscribed in 2022 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE.

by Rawan92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alheda’a, Oral Traditions of Calling Camel Flocks

Date of Inscription

2022

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Alheda’a, Oral Traditions of Calling Camel Flocks

Alheda’a, Oral Traditions of Calling Camel Flocks

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