Beauty queens of the desert steal the show at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Camel Festival

Camels compete in the beauty pageant of the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, some 160 kilometres east of Riyadh on December 24, 2020. (AFP)
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Updated 14 January 2023
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Beauty queens of the desert steal the show at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Camel Festival

  • Annual event outside Riyadh draws thousands of visitors to 17 different categories of competition
  • Festival became a high-profile spectacle after the council of ministers formally began to regulate it

RIYADH: 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.”

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.

One stand-out event in the region’s calendar is the Mazayen Al-Ibl — the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. The 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 that it is today.




Saudi men cheer for camel owners taking part in a beauty contest during the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, some 160 kilometres east of Riyadh, on January 19, 2018. (AFP/File Photo)

Organized by the Saudi Camel Club, the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives took over the management of the festival under the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Camels are not usually the first animals that spring to mind when one contemplates beauty. But it would be unfair not to recognize the aesthetic attributes of even this most humble of livestock. So, this raises the question: How does a camel participate in a beauty pageant?

Breeders can either opt to enter a single camel or a herd of up to 50 in the contest. Candidates are then divided into categories based on their color — mijahim (dark skinned) and maghateer (light skinned).

These lighter-skinned camels are then further subdivided into wodh (bright white), sheal (yellow), sofor (yellow with black humps), shiggih (white but less bright), and homor (red).

Entrants are also categorized by age, with competitions for degh (camels under the age of five) and jel (over the age of five).

A separate category is reserved for sawahil, or coastal, camels, distinguished by their red coloring, large heads, long necks, large bodies, and greater overall body length.




Saudi cameleers parade their animals during the sixth edition of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in the Rumah region, some 161Km east of the capital Riyadh. (AFP)

Then there are purebred asayel camels, which are known for their speed, meaning they are usually used in racing competitions. The most famous are the Omani, divided into asayel, hybrid (mehajjin), Al-Seairyat and Al-Awarik.

Of course, all of this begs the question: What exactly is a pageant judge looking for while trying to determine the beauty of a camel?

“The beauty features of the camel depend greatly on the head,” Mosallam Al-Hawamlah, a Saudi camel breeder, told Arab News.

“It is better to have longer lips and the nose is preferred to be high and curved. The beauty of camels increases when they have a longer beard and broader cheeks.”

There are also several features that are distinct to the mijahim and maghateer categories, including the size, shape and composure of their respective ears, tails and toes.

FASTFACTS

• Tens of thousands attend the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, staged northeast of Riyadh.

• The latest edition of the festival allowed women to show off their camels for the second time.

“It is preferable that the ears of the maghateer are short and sloped backwards, and the mijahim is preferred to be with long ears and sloped forward,” said Al-Hawamlah.

The camel’s neck is also a key determinant of its beauty, with judges preferring long necks set forward, provided they are in proportion with the rest of the body.

However, it is the positioning of the camel’s hump that is considered among the most important gauges of its beauty. According to Al-Hawamlah, judges prefer the hump to slope backward.

Mijahim camels are also often judged based on the curve of their legs. Winners tend to have legs with an inward curvature and also a long broad tail. Meanwhile, judges often prefer maghateer camels to have shorter tails.

As one might expect from a beauty pageant, participating camels are given a thorough makeover before they are presented to the judges, allowing breeders to accentuate their animals’ natural qualities.

Camels are washed, shaved, combed and styled to ensure they look their best. Some camel owners even opt to use hair-fixing spray to highlight the thickness of their animals’ mane.




A Saudi man leads camels as he heads back home from a training center on April 1, 2016 near the city of Tabuk, located some 1500km northwest of the capital Riyadh. (AFP)

To maintain the authenticity of camel breeds and to guard against mistreatment, organizers have in recent years cracked down on more invasive cosmetic enhancements.

At last year’s festival, 43 contestants were disqualified after breeders used botox injections and other forms of “tampering” to enhance their animals’ appearance.

According to SPA, some breeders even injected their camels with silicone and fillers, while others artificially inflated their animals’ body parts using rubber bands.

To detect any such tampering, festival judges and veterinarians thoroughly examine each camel with X-ray machines and sonar devices.

Stricter regulation means it takes a great deal of time and planning for breeders to prepare an animal for such a pageant, including the provision of proper transportation, fodder, health care and nutrition.

During the festival and throughout the year, breeders meet to buy and sell camels that have specific beauty criteria, striking deals valued in millions of dollars.

Mousa Al-Mousa, a camel owner, recently sealed a deal worth SR80 million ($21.3 million) to buy 17 deq camels from fellow breeder Mohammed bin Jokhdob.

More than 70 camels were auctioned in just the first three weeks of the current festival, with the highest demand for wodh and sofor.

While the value of camel sales has exceeded SR500 million at this year’s festival, the market value of the festival in the first five weeks amounted to about SR10 billion. Several major companies in Saudi Arabia sponsored the event.

Preparing for such competitions is a way of life for many camel breeders. In recent months, Mijbil Aldhifiri, a young businessman from Hafar Al-Batin in the Eastern Province, told Arab News that he had spent up to 12 hours a day caring for his prize-winner, Thokor.




Cars and people surround camels for sale during the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, some 160 kilometres east of Riyadh. (AFP)

Another camel owner, Abdulaziz bin Shouraim, told Arab News that he was looking forward to participating in the next festival, adding that he struggled to purchase a camel with prize-winning looks, such is the high demand for such contenders.

Organizers have sought to diversify the festival by introducing new competition categories, including last year’s launch of a camel race for female breeders. This year they introduced the International Camel Organization event, where Royal Omani camel riders made their debut.

More than 32 participants from around the world competed in this year’s beauty pageant, which took place on Jan. 8.

Fifteen participants — nine from Iraq, two from Egypt, and one each from Yemen, Libya, Britain and India — qualified for the final round of judging. In the end, though, it was an Iraqi entry that came away with the prize for the most beautiful camel.

Iraq’s Watbaan Jabo Abbas Al-Rafi was ecstatic at taking first place.

“I was honored to participate in the festival’s competitions,” he told Arab News. “I thank all those in charge of it, as this festival today has become a global event with the participation of many countries.”

 


Saudi Arabia ‘categorically rejects’ Israel’s plan to seize Gaza territory

Updated 08 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia ‘categorically rejects’ Israel’s plan to seize Gaza territory

  • Israeli authorities on Monday approved plans to take over territory and forcibly displace population
  • Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Israel’s violations of international law

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “categorically rejected” plans by Israel to expand its military operations in Gaza and seize control of the territory.

The ministry also “strongly condemned the continued Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”

Israeli authorities on Monday approved a new ground operation to take over parts of Gaza, forcibly displace Palestinians into the south of the territory, and control the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Israeli army is calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

The announcement sparked widespread international condemnation. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said it stood firmly opposed to any attempted expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and stressed the importance of holding Israel accountable for failures to comply with international resolutions.

The Kingdom continues to have “unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, in line with international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital,” the ministry added.


Saudi project destroys 600 more Houthi landmines and other explosives in Yemen

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi project destroys 600 more Houthi landmines and other explosives in Yemen

  • The devices, cleared from various parts of the war-torn country in recent months, were safely detonated on Wednesday
  • Project Masam has removed nearly 500,000 mines across Yemen since its launch in 2018

RIYADH: Members of the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance, also known as Project Masam, safely detonated 600 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices on Wednesday.

The project’s engineers had demined and removed the devices over the past few months from various parts of Yemen, including the town of Beihan and the districts of Usaylan and Ain in Shabwah governorate.

Hussein Al-Aqili, commander of the project’s survey team, said they carried out the destruction operation in the Thahba area of Ain district on Wednesday as part of their ongoing mission to clear mines and other remnants of war in Yemen, and save civilian lives.

The project has cleared nearly 500,000 mines from the country since its work there began in 2018.

Last week, Ousama Algosaibi, the managing director of Masam, warned that the Houthis continue to exploit periods of truce to plant more mines across Yemen.

“We are in a constant race with the Houthi militias; we clear mines from one side while they plant more on the other,” he said during an interview with Al-Ekhbariya TV.


Saudi ambassador meets Bahrain King’s media affairs adviser

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi ambassador meets Bahrain King’s media affairs adviser

Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi was received by Nabeel bin Yacoub Al-Hamer, media affairs adviser to the King of Bahrain, in Manama on Wednesday.

The adviser expressed his pride in the solid fraternal relations and deep-rooted historical ties that bind the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He also wished Al-Sudairi continued success in his duties, which will further support and strengthen the fraternal ties, mutual coordination, and close cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in various fields, and particularly in the media.


 


Saudi commission expands music access for people with disabilities

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi commission expands music access for people with disabilities

  • Push for accessible arts programming reflects wider goals for social development

MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission has launched a national initiative to expand access to music education for people with disabilities, marking a key step toward their greater inclusion in the Kingdom’s cultural landscape.

Focused on Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, the program trains instructors to teach students with physical and cognitive disabilities.

It supports the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to elevate quality of life and ensure opportunities for all segments of society.

Music education expert Issa Al-Qarbi praised the initiative as a transformative step in supporting individuals with disabilities.

“Music is a highly effective medium for stimulating brain activity, developing motor and social skills, and enhancing overall psychological well-being,” he said.

The initiative includes adapting teaching methods, specialized curricula and fully accessible learning environments aligned with the requirements of the Mowaamah certification, a program which provides support to increase participation among disabled individuals in the labor market.

In designing the program, the commission partnered with international experts in music on the curricula and programs that align with global best practices.

The existing models were reviewed using the standards set by the National Association for Music Education.

The commission’s goal is to empower students to express themselves through music, boost their self-confidence and enhance their social, cognitive and motor skills.

The students will receive extended training that prepares them for group performances while supporting their artistic, cognitive and social development. Sessions with parents and community members are also being planned to raise awareness and encourage family engagement.

Al-Qarbi said that long-term sustainability and lasting impacts could be ensured by closer partnerships between the education and healthcare sectors.

He praised the initiative as a regional model, opening the door to further research and innovation.

He said that teaching music to individuals with disabilities went beyond technical skills, nurturing essential personal qualities such as patience, discipline and social engagement, which in turn positively influenced many areas of their lives.


Saudi surgeons separate Egyptian child from parasitic twin

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi surgeons separate Egyptian child from parasitic twin

  • Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah says operation is one of the most delicate carried out by his team
  • Procedure takes 8 hours and involves multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants

RIYADH: A medical team from the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program successfully completed a surgical procedure on Wednesday to separate an Egyptian child from a parasitic twin.

The operation on 8-month-old Mohammed Abdulrahman Juma at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh took eight hours and was split into six stages. It involved a multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants, including specialists in anesthesia, neurosurgery, pediatrics and plastic surgery.

A parasitic twin, also known as a vestigial twin, is an identical twin that stopped developing during gestation and is physically attached to a fully developed twin. Because it did not fully develop, it cannot survive on its own and often dies in the womb or during birth.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who heads the surgical team and is an advisor at the royal court and supervisor general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief, said the twins were joined at the back, lower chest, abdomen and pelvis. The parasitic twin lacked a head and essential organs, including a heart and kidneys.

Al-Rabeeah described the operation as one of the most delicate his team has been involved with, and thanked his colleagues for their efficiency and skill during the surgery, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mohammed and his parents flew to Saudi Arabia in March after King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued directives for medics in the Kingdom to help the child.

The operation on Wednesday was the 63rd separation procedure carried out under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has reviewed 149 cases of patients from 27 countries since its inception in 1990.