 Camel at the Birqāsch camel market | ||
| Birqash · برقاش | ||
| Governorate | Gīza | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 14.172 (2006) | |
| height | 19 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Birqasch (engl. Birqash, Arabic:برقاش, Birqash) is a village about 25 kilometers northwest of Cairo in the governorate el-Qalyūbīya, south of the el-Mansūrīya Canal, with about 14,000 inhabitants.[1] The village is famous for its camel market, which is about 5 kilometers southwest of the village as the crow flies.
getting there
Getting there is not that easy. The easiest way to get to the village is with one Car or taxi. A taxi costs around LE 100. The distance from Cairo city center to Birqāsh is around 25 to 30 kilometers.
In Cairo you first go to the west bank and cross the northernmost part of the city Imbāba (Arabic:إمبابة). The Imbāba el-Qanāṭir Road (Arabic:طريق إمبابة القناطر الزراعي, Tarīq Imbāba al-Qanāṭir az-zirāʿī) leads west to el-Warāq Island (Arabic:جزيرة الوراق, Ǧazīra al-Warāq, spoken: Gazīra il-Warāʾ) and follows the course of the Nile about 100 m away or later a side canal. A little bit later 1 crosses(30 ° 7 ′ 20 ″ N.31 ° 12 ′ 4 ″ E) one the Cairo Ring Road. If you don't want to drive through Cairo, take the Ring Road to the point mentioned. The first village north of this intersection is 1 Āanāsh(30 ° 7 ′ 39 ″ N.31 ° 11 ′ 36 ″ E), Arabic:طناش.
You now drive further north through the villages 2 Saqīl(30 ° 8 ′ 21 ″ N.31 ° 9 ′ 44 ″ E), Arabic:سقيل, And 3 Burṭus(30 ° 9 ′ 5 ″ N.31 ° 8 ′ 30 ″ E), Arabic:برطسUntil after 4 el-Galatma(30 ° 10 ′ 37 ″ N.31 ° 7 '24 "E), Arabic:الجلاتمة. This city is located to the west of el-Qanāṭir el-Cheirīya. From now on it goes further west. You cross one 2 Railway line(30 ° 10 ′ 37 ″ N.31 ° 6 ′ 40 ″ E), drives north to the village 5 Dhāt el-Kōm(30 ° 10 ′ 25 ″ N.31 ° 4 ′ 11 ″ E), also Zāt el-Kōm, Arabic:ذات الكوم, Passed and reached Birqāsch.
You leave the village and drive 3 kilometers further west to one 3 Branch(30 ° 10 ′ 11 ″ N.31 ° 0 ′ 40 ″ E) to the south. After another 3.5 kilometers in a south-westerly direction you will reach the camel market.
Some travel guides claim that there are none public transport, is not entirely true. However, the journey is time-consuming. First you take bus line 214 in Cairo from Mīdān ʿAbd el-Moneim Riyadh to the final stop at the dam (Barrage du Nile, el-Qanāṭir). From here minibuses run to Birqāsh. The rest of the 7 kilometers to the market is now hitchhiking.
Tourist Attractions
In the southwest of the village there is a daily 1 Animal market(30 ° 8 ′ 58 ″ N.30 ° 59 ′ 41 ″ E) held. Be on Fridays Camels (Arabic:سوق الجمل, Sūq al-Ǧamal, „Camel market", spoken: Su ’il-Gamal), mostly meat camels, sold. The market opens around 6 a.m., has peaked around 12 p.m. and closes around 4 p.m. / 5 p.m. All persons, including tourists, pay LE 20 entry. Another LE 15 is charged for the parking fee for the car / taxi.
The market has only existed here since the beginning of the 1990s, after the old cattle market was sold as a result of land speculation.
The market is loud and of course the animals smell - but not extremely. You can watch the whole trade here. Unloading, loading and driving the camels, watering and feeding the animals, bargaining for the best price. At the end, the new owner labels his camels.
Most of the camels sold here are meat camels, i.e. intended for consumption. Most of them were im Sudan and bred across either along the Red Sea coast or along the Nile Out of it driven here and partly transported by truck. The elegantly dressed traders themselves, of course, come by plane. Over tea, traders and buyers agree while the camel drivers watch as they keep their herd together.
So that the camels do not become too tough, they have to be sold and slaughtered at the age of two. In Birqāsh they are only sold, not slaughtered. A good camel can bring in around 500 euros. But it is not that easy to recognize a good meat camel. Obviously there are some vendors who feed their camels with salt and soak them with plenty of water to make them look like more.
So that the camels do not run away, a foreleg is tied in in the knee area. The animals are not always handled very carefully. The drovers' sticks are not just a fashion accessory.
The simple textiles and jewelry that are also offered for sale on the market are intended as goods for the return journey.
shop
Of course you can also buy camels.
kitchen
There is a very simple food stand right at the entrance.
accommodation
Accommodation is usually chosen in Cairo.
trips
A visit to the camel market can be compared to that of the dam el-Qanāṭir (Barrage du Nile, Arabic:القناطر الخيرية, al-Qanāṭir al-Chairīya) and the local hype.
Individual evidence
- ↑Population according to the 2006 Egyptian census, Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, accessed December 6, 2014.
