Al Dhafra,13th December, 2021 (WAM)– Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Madinet Zayed Camel Beauty Pageant of the 15th Al Dhafra Festival will kick off tomorrow morning and will run until December 23rd in Madinet Zayed in Al Dhafra region, Abu Dhabi.
Organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi, the Madinet Zayed Mazayna (competition) is the third round of the Abu Dhabi Camel Beauty Pageant Season following the directives of the Festival's patron, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to expand Al Dhafra Festival to include camel beauty contests in Suwayhan, Razin and Madinet Zayd, in addition to the principal Camel Beauty Competition of Al Dhafra Festival.
This year’s pageant will see 75 rounds for various purebred camels from the Asayel and Majaheem bloodlines in six age groups: Mafarid, Haqqa, Laqaya, Iytha, Thanya, and Hol. The camel owners will be vying for 705 prizes worth AED11.415 million.
From the early hours of the morning, the organisers of the much-awaited competition will start receiving the camels participating in the first day of the contest, which will include seven rounds for purebred camels from the Asayel and Majaheem bloodlines at Al Mafarid age, for which 65 valuable prizes have been allocated. Upon arrival in the venue, the camels will be tested by the medical and screening committees, with the Judging Committee to announce the results on Wednesday evening.
All Covid-19 countermeasures will be in place across the festival venue in line with the Green Pass Protocol for Al Hosn App to ensure the safety of the working staff, visitors and participants in the event.
Al Dhafra Festival reflects the sustained efforts made by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to underpin the UAE's position as a regional and international hub for strengthening heritage preservation for future generations. A prestigious status strengthened by the recent increase in the Festival’s prize money, with the Festival’s pageants now including 312 rounds by local camels, Majahim, Al-Asayel, Al-Wahdah and Al-Mahaleb hybrids for the participants to win 2,947 valuable prizes as well as two Bairaq Al Emarat Awards.
The aims of the Al Dhafra Festival are to celebrate quintessential Emirati culture, generate tourism and preserve the purity of camel breeds.
The Festival aspires to preserve the cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi and to protect the legacy of the nation’s traditions. It seeks to increase the number of camel owners participating in the heritage competitions, preserve folklore, giving the chance for new generations to experience and value the heritage of their nation and the region at large, and strengthen human and social ties. This is in addition to contributing to developing domestic and Gulf tourism, stimulating economic activity, and underpinning the position of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to be the preferred destination for camel fairs and heritage events locally, regionally and internationally.