Competitors and their camels are busy vying for a chance to snap up some of the colossal prizes on offer at the Al Dhafra Festival, a celebration of traditional bedouin culture and history that’s taking place in the Western Region until 28th December.
The seventh edition of the Al Dhafra Festival, which kicked off earlier this week in Madinat Zayed, Al Gharbia, has prizes totaling more than AED 46 million, including 198 cars in addition to cash prizes.
Organised by the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee, the festival features 12 events that focus primarily on camels but also include falcon competitions, handicraft competitions, saluki races and even a classic car competition. While visitors are at the festival they can also check out the traditional market, which offers handmade Emirati goods made by local women.
The main competition of the festival, ‘Al Dhafra Mazayna’, or the camel beauty contest, is expected to feature up to 1,500 participants and nearly 25,000 camels and will include participants from throughout the Gulf region.
“In its general framework, the festival aims at preserving the pure-bred local Asayel and Majahim, promoting the Bedouin culture and stimulating the heritage scene,” said HE Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Cultural Program and Heritage Festivals Committee. “Among the other objectives is the positioning of the name of Al Dhafra in Al Gharbia on the map of international tourism, the stimulation of the economic activity in Al Gharbia, and the creation of commercial market to sell and buy camels.”
The two-week event is held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
For more information visit: www.aldhafrafestival.ae
