World Camel Day: Tabuk Camels Symbolize Authenticity and Heritage

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA
TT

World Camel Day: Tabuk Camels Symbolize Authenticity and Heritage

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA

In Saudi Arabia, camels receive devoted attention and care from the government, the Saudi Press Agency reported. With a deep connection to the history and life of the Saudi people since ancient times, camels symbolize tradition, and the government harnesses all resources to preserve and nurture them.
The UN declared June 22 the World Camel Day in recognition of the historical significance of camels which ensure food security with their products of great nutritional value. The year 2024 has been designated by the UN as the International Year of Camelids.
Saudi Arabia participates in the preservation and safeguarding of camels, further solidifying the country's civilizational, historical, and cultural identity.
Tabuk, like other regions in the Kingdom, cares for this national resource.
Founded in 1407 AH, this field is renowned for organizing seasonal races and official celebrations of Arabian camels in the Kingdom. It accommodates over 900 stables and more than 10,000 camels raised to take part in winter and summer races and for breeding purposes.



US Returns to Iran Latest Batch of Ancient Clay Tablets

Achaemenid-era clay tablets returned from the United States and on display at Iran's National Museum in Tehran on October 2, 2019 - AFP
Achaemenid-era clay tablets returned from the United States and on display at Iran's National Museum in Tehran on October 2, 2019 - AFP
TT

US Returns to Iran Latest Batch of Ancient Clay Tablets

Achaemenid-era clay tablets returned from the United States and on display at Iran's National Museum in Tehran on October 2, 2019 - AFP
Achaemenid-era clay tablets returned from the United States and on display at Iran's National Museum in Tehran on October 2, 2019 - AFP

The United States has returned to Iran more than 1,000 clay tablets dating from the Achaemenid-era, official media said, reporting the sixth such handover of its kind.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said Thursday evening that the tablets, 1,100 in all, were returned with President Masoud Pezeshkian who had attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Found at the ruins of Persepolis, the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire which ruled from the 6th to 4th centuries BC in southern Iran, the repatriated tablets reflect how the ancient society was organised and its economy managed.

According to AFP, the tablets constitute records of "the rituals and the way of life of our ancestors", said Ali Darabi, vice-minister of cultural heritage, cited by IRNA.

The tablets were returned to Iran by the University of Chicago's Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa, formerly known as the Oriental Institute.

A large portion of the tablets were returned in three batches between 1948 and 2004 before the rest were blocked by legal action until 2018.

More than 3,500 tablets were repatriated in September, 2023.

"The American side undertook to return the rest," Darabi said, cited by Iran's ISNA news agency.