Al Ghuwaifat: These truckers are the modern-day antecedents of the Spice Road, carrying the goods and riches of the Arabian Peninsula to the West as their forefathers did before.
Their modern day ships of the desert are not camel caravan laden with carpets and spices, but Volvos and Ivecos and Mercedes-Benz hauling everything to make the economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states tick over.
After nearly a week of delays on the UAE-Saudi border, it is only a matter of time before the wheels of the GCC economy begin to slow.
At least 4,000 trucks remain stranded on the UAE side of the border here waiting to cross into Saudi Arabia, with the numbers continuing to grow by the hour.
For days on end, truckers make little or no progress to their destinations across the GCC as delays in processing by Saudi authorities impair their journeys.
Hussain, a middle-aged Syrian man, catches what sleep he can in the cramped confines of his Volvo rig.
Unlike other drivers who find rest and sleep easy to come by — there is little else for them to do — Hussain must listen to the constant drone of the refrigeration unit humming immediately behind the bunk in his cab.
He is hauling fresh oranges from Dubai to Riyadh, and if he runs out of fuel, the price of oranges in Riyadh could be taking a small jump.
He left Dubai two days ago and has enough diesel on board to last for three more days. If he's lucky, he'll be across the border into Saudi Arabia by then. If not, he'll have to leave the queue of more than 4,000 trucks, and refuel. Then start to wait all over again.
"Two more days," he says wistfully. "Inshallah."
The laws of economics are simple: Supply and demand.
At this border crossing — the only one on the western shores of the Arabian Gulf between the UAE and the rest of the GCC — the laws of economics point to a strangled supply of goods and a deafening demand for the truckloads of materials held up here.
Two days ago, Abdul Haleem pulled out of a steel manufacturing workshop in Al Quoz area of Dubai, bound for a building site in Doha where a new factory is being built. That factory isn't going to be finished on time.
In the last day, Abdul Haleem has clocked up zero miles and a whole lot of frustration waiting and waiting at Al Ghuwaifat. His rig is buried deep in a matrix of other rigs in a holding compound several hundred metres from the Saudi border.
The compound contains 17 rows of trucks, each row is 25 to 30 trucks long, and each truck carries materials needed by someone somewhere, sooner, not later. "Nothing to do but wait," he says.
Tents
Beside him, Mohammad Al Nazeef carries Sharjah-made steel, also bound for Doha. Normally, the run would be a three-day round trip. Not this time. "Seven days, maybe more," he says.
The two — along with the 500 or so trucks in this holding compound — will be here for two days. Then a short drive to the UAE customs holding compound for another wait of two days, then — hopefully — across the border into Saudi Arabia.
"They say it's because of Haj," Mohammad says, trying to understand the reason for the delay this time. In June, he spent eight days inching his way forward to the Saudi border along this same stretch of desolate desert road, little shelter, running low on food and water.
At the main border post, two tents have been erected next to a police station and a mosque to process Haj pilgrims entering Saudi Arabia.
The tents are empty so far, few Haj pilgrims making the journey as yet.
Nestor, an energetic Filipino has been hauling loads around the Gulf for the past 10 years, providing a good living and luxuries for his wife and son back home. Based out of Bahrain, he's becoming increasing frustrated with the red tape and delays impeding his progress across the GCC in the past six months. "The UAE, no problem. Qatar, no problem. Bahrain, no problem. Saudi..." his voice trails off.
"There is nothing we can do," he says. "If we are late, the customer has to wait. This can't go on forever. It is not our fault we are stuck here waiting and waiting for a process that should be quick."
Kareem, from Ghana, left Dubai two days ago, hauling a load of soap to Jeddah. For 10 hours on Tuesday he did not move one inch closer to his final destination.
Early on Wednesday, he moved into the holding compound. By Friday, he should be in the UAE customs compound. And two days from now, he should be unloading his soap at a warehouse in Jeddah. Or maybe a couple of days later, depending on the demand to keep this supply train moving.
