The traditional camel market in Noorpur Thal tehsil of Punjab is held for three days every year from the 1st day of Sawan, in which thousands of animals are brought for sale. The area has been hosting the annual market since before the partition.
It has the distinction of being the largest camel market in Pakistan. A large number of animal traders from all provinces come here to buy camels for Eidul Azha.
Local animal traders bring their camels for sale in the three-day event where thousands of animals are brought from Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali and Bhakkar districts.
The three-day camel market is considered a festival in the region. Reportedly, most of the camel traders in the market come from Peshawar, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Quetta, who buy hundreds of animals and load them onto large carts. Camels bought from the market are also reportedly sold in Afghanistan.
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Muhammad Ehsan, a trader from K-P, said he had been coming to the area for many years to buy camels. “From here we get camels at reasonable prices, which we take to K-P for sale. This is a major source of income for us.”
Muhammad Akram, a trader who has been selling camels in the market for years, said that his business was to raise camels and bring them to the market for sale. “The income is used throughout the year.”
The price of camels brought for sale in the market ranges from Rs0.1 million to Rs1.2 million. Many of the buyers are also eager to eat camel meat. In the three-day market, where traders make a profit by selling their camels, many employment opportunities are also created for local people.
As soon as the market opens, camel decoration shops were set up as well as stalls of samosas, pakoras, lemonade and other snacks and drinks.
Natives attribute the market to Baba Syedan Shah Bukhari, a spiritual figure buried in Noorpur Thal.
They narrate that there was an outbreak of plague among members of the Sikh community living in the area, on which members of the community took refuge at his place and all of them were saved rom the disease.
When the disease subsided, they arranged a camel dance on the first of the traditional calendar’s month of Sawan to celebrate. From there the annual tradition was established, which later took the form of a market.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2020.
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