For nearly 1,000 years, the Middle East and North Africa almost entirely abandoned the wheel in favor of camel-based transport.

Between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD, the Middle East underwent a transformative shift in transportation technology. Historian Richard Bulliet's influential 1975 work, "The Camel and the Wheel," documents how the camel's superior efficiency eventually made wheeled transport obsolete in the region. While a wagon required a team of animals and maintained roads, a single camel could carry heavy loads across trackless deserts and steep mountains with minimal infrastructure.Economically, camels proved far more cost-effective than carts. Maintaining wagons required wood, leather, and metal—resources that were scarce in arid regions. Additionally, camels consumed less water and food relative to their carrying capacity compared to oxen or horses, making them the more sustainable choice for long-distance trade routes. By the time the Islamic Caliphates rose to power, the infrastructure supporting wheeled transport had largely disappeared because camels represented the superior technology for the environment.This transition was so complete that by the 10th century, many cities throughout the region were built with narrow, winding streets designed to accommodate camel caravans rather than wagons. This architectural shift reinforced the absence of wheeled vehicles for centuries. Only in the mid-1800s, with European colonial expansion and the construction of modern paved roads, did wheeled vehicles finally return to prominence in the Middle East and North Africa.