GALLERY: SAUDI CAMEL FARM
You Beauty!
COLIN SIMPSON
I CAME across this camel farm in the desert outside the Red Sea city of Jeddah while getting my Saudi driving licence, an elaborate process that involved travelling for miles to distant government offices in remote sand-blown towns.
Gulf Arabs love their camels – not surprising as in years gone by having a sturdy animal that could carry you safely across the dunes was the difference between life and death. In addition to being a means of transport, camels were also a source of milk, meat, wool and leather. Even their dung is useful – it can be used as fuel.
Camel beauty contests are popular across the region. The biggest is the King Abdulaziz festival held outside Riyadh, the Saudi capital, which features 30,000 camels and offers more than $31 million prize money.
The droop of the nose and lips that cover the teeth are particularly important in the camel beauty world. Twelve animals were reported to have been disqualified from this year’s festival because they’d been injected with botox. Camel racing is also a big attraction in the Gulf – the animals are ridden by robot jockeys.
Dubai company Al Nassma pioneered the production of camel milk chocolate ten years ago, and there are now also manufacturers in the U.S., Australia and India.
Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamden bin Mohammed, set a new record for the world’s costliest camel in 2008 when he paid $2.7 million for an animal at a beauty pageant in Abu Dhabi.
MORE INFO
OFFICIAL SAUDI WEBSITES are pretty uninformative. There’s some interesting background detail about the festival in this cutting from my old paper, The National. READ MORE
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GALLERY: SAUDI CAMEL FARM
You Beauty!
COLIN SIMPSON
I CAME across this camel farm in the desert outside the Red Sea city of Jeddah while getting my Saudi driving licence, an elaborate process that involved travelling for miles to distant government offices in remote sand-blown towns.
Gulf Arabs love their camels – not surprising as in years gone by having a sturdy animal that could carry you safely across the dunes was the difference between life and death. In addition to being a means of transport, camels were also a source of milk, meat, wool and leather. Even their dung is useful – it can be used as fuel.
Camel beauty contests are popular across the region. The biggest is the King Abdulaziz festival held outside Riyadh, the Saudi capital, which features 30,000 camels and offers more than $31 million prize money.
The droop of the nose and lips that cover the teeth are particularly important in the camel beauty world. Twelve animals were reported to have been disqualified from this year’s festival because they’d been injected with botox. Camel racing is also a big attraction in the Gulf – the animals are ridden by robot jockeys.
Dubai company Al Nassma pioneered the production of camel milk chocolate ten years ago, and there are now also manufacturers in the U.S., Australia and India.
Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamden bin Mohammed, set a new record for the world’s costliest camel in 2008 when he paid $2.7 million for an animal at a beauty pageant in Abu Dhabi.
When I got home, sand-dusted but clutching my brand new driving licence, Sue didn’t seem very interested in my day, probably because at that time women were not allowed to drive in the kingdom. As we say in the UK, she got the hump.
Updated January 2020
MORE INFO
OFFICIAL SAUDI WEBSITES are pretty uninformative. There’s some interesting background detail about the festival in this cutting from my old paper, The National. READ MORE
RELATED
GULF ARABS LOVE BIG CATS and other exotic animals, and many sheikhs have private zoos. Normally these places are strictly out of bounds, but Afaranwide managed to have a look inside. READ MORE
NEW LIFE FOR OLD TOWN: Al-Balad, the ancient heart of the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, fell into disrepair during Saudi Arabia’s oil rush. Now it’s being brought back to life… READ MORE
JEDDAH’S AMAZING GIANT SCULPTURES. Works by some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century are displayed along the corniche of this Red Sea city. READ MORE
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WELCOME TO OUR WORLD! Afaranwide’s home page – this is where you can find out about our latest posts and other highlights. READ MORE
TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS: Many of the world’s most popular tourists sites are closed because of the coronavirus crisis, but you can still visit them virtually while you’re self-isolating. READ MORE
SHIMLA, QUEEN OF THE HILLS: Government officials once retreated to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas to escape India’s blazing hot summers. Now tourists make the same journey. READ MORE
TEN THINGS WE LEARNED: Our detailed guide to creating a website, one step at a time. The costs, the mistakes – it’s what we wish we’d known when we started blogging. READ MORE
TROUBLED TIMES FOR EXPATS: Moving abroad can seem an idyllic prospect, but what happens when sudden upheavals or the inescapable realities of life intrude? READ MORE