While the camel is often used as a symbol of life in the time before cars and roads, an equally strong case ought to be made for the humble donkey.
Almost as adaptable to the harsh desert climate, like the camel, the donkey was an invaluable servant in the towns as well. Herds of feral donkeys can still be spotted, especially in the Northern Emirates
This specimen was photographed in the old souq in Abu Dhabi sometime around 1960. Donkeys were frequently used to deliver water in old oil cans, especially after the first desalination unit was set up on the beach in 1962.
Female donkeys, or jennets, had a particular use. Their milk can be digested by very young babies and was used as a substitute when a mother’s milk failed in the days when powdered formula was unknown.
The benefits of donkey milk have long been known in the Arab world, at least as far back as Cleopatra who would bath in it to maintain her beauty.
* James Langton
