King Abdulaziz Camel Festival
One stand-out event in the region’s calendar is the Mazayen Al-Ibl — the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival
Riyadh, The Gulf Observer: Camels have long been associated with Middle Eastern history and culture. Indeed, for many Bedouin peoples who still live in the deserts of Arabia they continue to provide a source of food, transportation and clothing to this day.
Historically, the domestication of camels unleashed the potential of early Arab societies. Arabian armies were able to quickly conquer territory and establish large empires thanks to the speed and resilience of these “ships of the desert.”
Beauty queens of the desert steal the show
It is therefore perhaps no surprise that festivals are held throughout the region to celebrate these qualities and the single-humped dromedary’s symbolic place in Arabian identity, even as the Gulf states rapidly embrace the trappings of urbanization.
The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival attracts thousands of visitors each year to witness one of Arabia’s most unique competitions — the camel beauty pageant.
Considered one of the biggest events of its kind in the Middle East, the festival is made up of 75 camel competitions, with participants vying for prizes of up to SR100 million ($26 million). Indeed, rare-camel breeding is a multimillion-dollar industry in Saudi Arabia.
Although the festival, held at a showground north of Riyadh, has been taking place over many years, it was only after the Saudi Council of Ministers issued a decision in 2017 to formally regulate the event that it became the high-profile spectacle.
