Camels Walk From Sudan to Shalatin's Market in Herds of Up to 500 on the Dabouka Route
Hundreds of camels cross into Egypt on foot on each "Dabouka", led by guards who know the desert wells, clearing veterinary quarantine at the Ras Hadarba crossing before walking on beside the Halayeb–Abu Ramad–Shalatin road to one of Egypt's biggest camel markets, a trader in Shalatin has told Youm7.
22 October 2026
Herds of up to about 500 camels walk from Sudan into Egypt and on to the camel market at Shalatin, in the south of Red Sea Governorate, on the journey known locally as the Dabouka, Saleh Moussa, a camel trader in Shalatin, told the Egyptian daily Youm7 in a report published on 22 October. The market is described in the report as one of the largest and best-known camel trading markets in Egypt.
Each Dabouka sets out once large numbers of camels have gathered at set points inside Sudan, Moussa said. From there the herds travel on foot, led by guards who do this as their main occupation: taking camels from Sudan to Shalatin, and who know the desert routes between the two countries, the mountain tracks and the positions of the wells along the way.
Quarantine at Ras Hadarba
The first official stop inside Egypt is the Ras Hadarba land crossing. There, according to the account given to Youm7, every camel goes through quarantine and veterinary examination by vets, who check the animals' condition and give the required vaccinations and doses before the herd is allowed to continue. The checks at the crossing take a day or two, and can take longer depending on how many camels have arrived.
Once the animals are released, the caravans continue alongside the road linking Halayeb, Abu Ramad and Shalatin until they reach the market, where buying and selling begins with traders arriving from different governorates. The guards work for the camels' owners and the traders, and are responsible for the animals until they are handed over inside the market.
Wells, and walking by daylight
The wells spread along the route are the journey's lifeline. Caravans stop at them to water the camels and the men, in what is known locally as the saqaya. The guards know exactly where the wells are and which tribes they belong to, the report says, and they choose stopping places that let the camels rest before the next stretch.
They walk during daylight despite the heat and avoid moving at night, because the mountain tracks are hard to follow in the dark and darkness brings risks for the animals and the men. Each group of camels carries the marks of its owner or the trader it belongs to, so the animals can be identified when they reach Shalatin.