Tribune News Network
Doha
Around 5,000 camels, including 2,000 from Qatar, compete in the second edition of the Qatar Camel Festival, inaugurated recently under the slogan ‘Jezellat Al Atta’ (Generous Giver).
The event is being held by Qatar Camel Mazayen Club, which operates under Qatar’s Ministry of Sports and Youth.
It aims to inform the new generations of Qatar and the region about how their ancestors have connected with camels for generations.
The camel beauty contests are held to showcase the affectionate relationship between the camels and their owners. The ongoing edition of the competition showcases the beauty of camels, focusing on their head, neck, legs, ears, lips and hump.
There are checks and controls to maintain the camels’ naturality. All kind of plastic surgery is forbidden at the festival, and a massive fine of QR10,000 has been fixed for such violation. In case of a breach, if the amount is not paid, the camel and its owner will be barred from participating in camel festivals in the future.
The participating camels compete in three categories: Magateer, which consists of three colours - white, yellow, and red; the Assayel, the pure breaded camels, which are very popular among camel breeders in Qatar, and the Mejaheem, which are the black camels.
The contest’s second edition has been confined to 30 days with 99 rounds compared to the 40 days and 116 games last year. The move is to merge the local and international rounds, giving all the owners more chances to win as decided by the organizing committee. Last year six countries, namely Qatar, KSA, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen, participated in the event.
This year the festival organizing committee came up with a new contest called the Bayraq (the Banner). In each category, the competitors will compete to get the highest number of points to win the Bayraq. Each competitor can buy a winning camel in each round, gain its moments, and add it to his portfolio. This contest will fire up the competition and will revitalize the camel market.
This year’s festival also witnesses the launch of the Folk Village, where 46 shops have been built to support productive families. This village will witness different heritage activities for families visiting the festival. In addition, the weekend’s artistic programmes include poetry recitations portraying poets and singers from Qatar and the GCC. Also, In Celebrations Street, a folk market, has been launched, where all camel items and materials are sold along with authentic local foods.
The renowned poets have always described Arab’s love of camels. Camels are known to be very loyal to their owners, very obedient and respond to their voice upon command. Both camels and their owners have unique, loving relationships, and the owners would never allow anybody to insult or hurt their camels.