In regions around the Persian Gulf, camels are as beloved as dogs and horses are in North America. Camels have long been referred to as the ships of the desert.
In 1999, a tribe of Bedouins in Saudi Arabia created a camel contest called Mazayen al-Ibl, or the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival.
The Saudi Royal Family approved of the contest, and it has since become an annual event.
Think of it as a cross between the Westminster Dog Show and a rodeo. Yet it’s distinctly Bedouin in nature and celebrates Saudi culture.
Some people call it the Miss Camel Pageant.
The 40-day festival is held near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and runs from December through January. It attracts competitors and audiences from around the world.
Tens of thousands of camels are entered into the festival. Black, white, beige, and brown - all purebreds - are permitted to participate.
Along with cultural attractions and food for purchase, events include camel riding and camel decoration. Prize money is awarded for poetry, artist renderings of camels, and the best photography of camels. The animals are also auctioned at the festival.
Lucrative cash prizes can be won in racing contests. First place finishers in each of the 10 races can claim the US equivalent of $2.5 million.
But the highlight for many, and the source of the nickname, is the camel beauty contest.
Judges inspect over a thousand camels and look for specific attributes, such as: the shapes of the hump, nose, head, ears, and neck; the plumpness of lips over the teeth; and large eyes with long eyelashes.
Grand prize for the most beautiful camel is equal to $3 million US.
Money has led to corruption and scandal.
2021: Over 40 camels were disqualified when it was learned that breeders had tampered with their animals. Aside from using rubber bands to expand musculature, the camels has been injected with Botox to make their features more attractive to judges. Other owners gave their animals hormone shots and even plastic surgery.
Festival organizers vowed to stop any further illicit tampering from occurring in all future contests.
As of this publication, the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is underway again, and hopefully the most beautiful - and unaltered - camel will win.
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