(Baonghean.vn) - Karachi, Pakistan is home to one of the largest markets in Asia. Traders and herders from all over the country's rural Sindh region bring their camels to sell at Karachi's bustling market. The number of livestock at the market is so large that sellers have to find ways to differentiate their "goods" in the eyes of buyers.
And that is the money-making opportunity for camel groomers.
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| The livestock market in Karachi, Pakistan is one of the largest in Asia. It has a dedicated area for traders to bring in hundreds of camels from rural Sindh. |
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| Obviously, every seller wants their camels to be the best looking. But in this crowded camel market, being different is a headache for the traders. How do they do it? |
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| Dressing up a camel with intricately woven capes? Oh no, you’re wrong. This is actually the trimmed back of a camel. |
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| “Customers love beautiful cattle,” said one seller. “We use camel grooming services to ‘renovate’ their appearance and make them more attractive to buyers.” |
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| Ali Hassan - a skilled camel groomer who used to work as a barber. Grasping the new tastes of traders, Ali transferred all his capital and skills to the camel grooming profession. |
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| For each camel that needs grooming, he earns 2,000 to 3,000 rupees (about $15). The weeks leading up to the traditional Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Azha in Pakistan are his busiest. |
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| Ali created 14 different patterns to apply to each camel, depending on their size and color. The entire process of “beautifying” the camels took up to 4 hours. |
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| Camels have become a lucrative 'market' for groomers like Ali, creating a unique new profession that perhaps exists nowhere else in the world. |
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| Even with such a level of sophistication, perhaps the world of sculptors and engravers will have to think about recognizing a new 'art form'? It is hard to believe that this is a work of art made from a small pair of ordinary scissors. |
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| Putting aside the artistic value, these 'masterpieces' are considered 'worth every penny'. A trader said: "Lac with carefully trimmed and shaped fur can be sold for more than 10,000-15,000 rupees." |
Phu Binh - Hai Trieu
(According to boredomtherapy, Arteide)
