Rajaz

Rajaz is the thirteenth studio album by the British progressive rock band Camel, released on October 7, 1999. The album is widely celebrated by fans and critics as a "return to form," channeling the band's classic symphonic progressive rock roots from the 1970s.

The word "Rajaz" refers to an ancient form of Arabic poetry sung by caravans crossing the desert. The rhythm of these poems was matched to the walking metre of the camels to keep travelers awake. Inspired by this concept, guitarist and bandleader Andrew Latimer composed the album's tracks around the steady tempo of a camel's walking pace. Unlike its heavily conceptual predecessors (Dust and Dreams and Harbour of Tears), Rajaz functions as a collection of individual, standalone songs.