Camel taxis in Tel Aviv?

Many of us have experienced riding in a smelly taxi. But have any of them smelled like a camel?

I doubt it.

But in Tel Aviv in the early years of the 20th century, there were not just taxis which smelled like camels, but taxis that were camels.

Camel taxi in Tel Aviv
In this photo from 1912, you can see a camel taxi on Herzl Street in Tel Aviv. The owner and potential passenger seem to be haggling over the price.

This was not the only camel taxi in Tel Aviv in those days. Nearby, there was a camel taxi station, with more of the magnificent beasts waiting to take you to your destination.

The ornate building at the back of the photo is the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, the first Hebrew high school. In A Deadly Act, book 5 of the Adam Lapid historical mysteries that I write, Adam Lapid visits this school in pursuit of a crafty killer.

You can find all the Adam Lapid mysteries here ==>> Adam Lapid novels.

As for camels, they were pretty common in Tel Aviv all the way to the 1930s. They were used mainly to cart building material. As the city grew and developed, they were no longer needed.

These days, taxis in Tel Aviv generally smell better, but I'm not sure they possess half the charm of their humped predecessors.

What do you think?
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