RAS AL KHAIMAH // They called it Operation Honeygate. The mission - the three climbers had to hike to a 110-metre cliff face, then abseil from the overhang and, whilst hanging by their ropes, reach for the UAE's most inaccessible piece of honeycomb. If this was not ambitious enough, the climb took place in temperatures of more than 40°C, after sunset in fading light, and was led by a man allergic to bee stings. Abdulla al Hebsy, 23, an Emirati from Ras al Khaimah, spent his teenage years exploring the Hajjar mountains, collecting honey from bees who found shade in the rocky overhangs.
But four years ago, when he was 19, he had to stop after the bee stings caused a severe allergic reaction. It was only when his friend and fellow climbing enthusiast Hazim Ziyadha, 21, from Egypt who grew up in the UAE, spotted a nest about 15 metres down from the top of the cliffs at a spot called Wadi Qida'ah, that Mr al Hebsy decided to pick up the ropes again. "What made me do it again? The honey taste," he said. "It's so sweet. I'm sure it's natural. Also, I enjoy the way we collect it." The two men, and a third, Andrew LaBonte, 24, an American who grew up in RAK, embarked on the mission last week, after planning it for two days.
Combining honey collecting with rope-assisted rock climbing was a first, claimed Mr al Hebsy. "It was really very scary. I'm not scared about bees, but I'm alone on the edge. It's the first time someone did it like that." Bees in this country do not build hives because of the intense heat. Instead, they swarm around the honeycomb, which is usually in the shaded areas of the mountains, often in trees or overhangs. In the Northern Emirates, the honey season runs from late May to the end of July. For generations, old men and teenage boys have trudged to the mountains for the sweet treasure.
Nests are marked by tribes with rocks or wood as personal property. Once marked, an owner can charge others Dh200 (US$54) or Dh300 to collect from that nest. As a member of the Habus tribe, it is acceptable for Mr al Hebsy to collect honey from the mountains of Wadi al Baih. "Even though this is a place no one ever collected honey before because no one else could get there, Abdulla kind of has a right to go there because he's from that area," said Mr LaBonte. "It's more justifiable for him to go and collect honey. If someone had already marked it that would be wrong."
Mr Ziyadha had found the site during a climb. The trio would spend 20 minutes setting up their gear and another 15 completing the abseil and collection of honey. They set off at 3.30pm, and the abseil would take place around 7pm. Mr LaBonte said he was not worried about his partners because they all worked together at an outdoor adventure company, and were experienced climbers. But he was surprised at the summit, when Mr al Hebsy turned to him and said: "Oh, by the way, if I get stung twice, I pass out." "I knew Hazim would be safe, he knows everything, and Abdulla was wearing a protective suit so I wasn't too worried," said Mr LaBonte. "But when he said if he had two or three stings he'd pass out, I knew I'd need to stay on top so that if something happened I could haul him out," he said.
Despite the obvious danger to his health, Mr al Hebsy went ahead. Wearing a beekeeper's suit and armed with a 10cm knife and a leafy stick for protection, Mr al Hebsy also carried a bucket for honey collection from the rocky crag. As he abseiled down, he stopped and shouted: "Hey, are my car lights on?" Mr al Hebsy waved the branch and a heavy stick covered in duct tape at the nest. He made a loud buzzing sound to scare the bees temporarily away. Then he quickly ducked in and extracted the booty - a foot long and foot wide piece of honeycomb.
Mr LaBonte said he was not worried about his partners because they all worked together at an outdoor adventure company, and were experienced climbers. "I knew Hazim would be safe, he knows everything, and Abdulla was wearing a protective suit so I wasn't too worried. But when he said if he had two or three stings he'd pass out, I knew I'd need to stay on top so that if something happened I could haul him out," he said.
Mr Ziyadha was behind him at all times watching out for his safety and filming the extraction, which the friends intend to show on the internet. Mr al Hebsy said he was pleased with the results. "I am happy for myself. [The nest] was really big. It was crazy down there, like a thousand bees. All of them [were] in my face." As he dipped his finger into the dark, sticky mix, he tried some, describing its taste as warm. Mr al Hebsy took some of the honey home to show to his mother and gave some to a friend whose son was ill. The rest was shared by the members of Operation Honeygate.
azacharias@thenational.ae
People have been collecting honey for 10,000 years. The oldest known evidence of honey collecting is believed to be in a picture on the walls of a cave in Valencia, Spain. There are plenty of references to man's use of honey in scripture. In the book of Exodus in the Old Testament, Moses is said to have led his followers to the land of milk and honey. According to the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammed, honey is a remedy for illnesses. In the mountains of the Arabian Peninsula, where it barely rains, unique plants can be found in elevated areas and bees produce honey of superior quality. The different names for honey come from the trees and plants the bees feed on before making it. In the UAE, the most common are ghaf and sidr. Due to the time needed for collection and its popularity, honey has been an important commodity for mountain tribes for generations. It raises a high price in markets, starting at Dh450 (US$120) for a half-litre bottle. Dusk is the best time to collect because bees are less active. * The National