It is Eid Al-Adha in the
Kingdom. Eid (solemn festival) al-Adha (feast of sacrifice) is an Islamic festival to celebrate the willingness of Abraham to follow Allah's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah, before Allah intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims commemorate and remember Abraham's trials, by themselves slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel or goat.
Due to the Muslim holiday, we were
off from work for a week, so some of us got together to go feed the baboons
on the Heet Escarpment near Ar Riyadh. We brought bananas (of course!) and some
fruits and Doritos! The Hamadryas Baboons,
native to the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, live in the canyons
and within the folds of the cliffs. The ride was about 20 minutes by highway
but the trek up was rough and hilly but well worth the experience.
Once
we opened the food and start throwing some of it over the cliff to get the
primates' attention, it did not take the baboon family very long, with the male
dominant in the lead, to discover that there was free food to be devoured. Within
a short while we were literally surrounded by at least 20-30 baboons of all
sizes! I was a bit apprehensive to move away from the vehicle to get some
photos but soon realized that the hungry pack was paying more attention to
their dinner that its spectators. Some of the males were horsing around and
fighting each other for food while the baby baboons either played or held on
tightly to their mamas. But for the most part, the baboons just ate quietly and
when there wasn’t any more food, they just hung out until we departed their
habitat.
Another great outing in the Kingdom but remember safety first in your speed while climbing the terrain and use your vehicle as a barrier between your group and the baboons.
All the best,
GMarie
