Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed has launched a coffee-table book with Assouline, celebrating the camel as one of the UAE’s enduring cultural symbols.
Ode to a Camel blends fine art photography, poetry and reflective essays, pairing images captured by Sheikha Latifa, chairwoman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, with meditations on the relationship between people, camels and desert life.
Published as part of Assouline’s Legends Collection, the 228-page volume is priced at €195 ($225), and features the publisher’s signature luxury craftsmanship, including a linen hardcover, heavyweight art paper and large-format imagery designed for display as much as reading.
Sheikha Latifa describes camels as deeply intertwined with Emirati identity.
“This book is not only a documentation of the camel, but also a contemplation on the beauty, the values of patience and fulfilment, and the relationship that united man with the Earth and nature over a long time,” she shared on social media. “It has been important for me that this work is presented in a language that combines image, poetry and memory.”
Assouline describes the publication as “an artistic homage” that presents the camel as “a living embodiment of resilience, elegance and quiet strength”. The book features sweeping desert silhouettes alongside intimate close-up portraits, offering what the publisher calls “a refined visual narrative” rooted in Middle Eastern heritage.
The publication also documents the animal’s historical role in desert life, local traditions and collective memory, while reframing it through a contemporary artistic lens.
Known for her long-standing involvement in the arts sector, Sheikha Latifa uses the project to merge heritage with visual storytelling, presenting camels not only as icons of survival and mobility, but also as subjects of beauty, companionship and emotional connection.
Proceeds from the book will support charitable initiatives.
Ode to a Camel joins a growing collection of UAE-focused Assouline titles that chronicle the country’s evolving cultural identity through luxury publishing. In recent years, the publisher has released books including Dubai Wonder, which explores the emirate’s transformation into a global city, and Abu Dhabi Bright, dedicated to the capital’s architecture, cultural institutions and desert landscapes.
Founded in Paris in 1994, Assouline has become known internationally for its visually driven books spanning fashion, travel, design and culture, with many of its editions becoming collector’s items and staples of luxury interiors.
