The Characteristics of Camel in the Folk Literature of Semnan Province

Camel breeding has been one of the main occupation of desert dwellers since the ancient times. The climatic, economic, and cultural conditions have fascinated tribes and desert dwellers with camel breeding. Camel is an important source of their economy; therefore, they have a longstanding emotional relationship with the animal.  Camels are widely reflected in the culture and literature of the people in Semnan. The purpose of this study is to collect and analyze the characteristics of camels in two dimensions of formal and transverse attributes in Semnan folk literature, particularly among camel owners. The data were collected through field study and interview. Moreover, the expert’s knowledge has been used in the data analysis. The results show that camels play an important role in the folk literature such as songs, proverbs, myths, sounds and beliefs, in the desert territory of Semnan province, the review of which is presented in the study.