From Al Arabiya:
Over 30,000 camels are expected to participate in King Abdulaziz’s prestigious Mazayen Al-Ibl heritage festival and camel beauty contest in the capital from March 19 to April 15.Miss Universe has some competition.
An ancient tradition, the festival will attract over 2 million attendees from across the globe including royalties, celebrities, designers and athletes. A festival organized and managed by King Abdulaziz Darat, the heritage event and competition is held in respect to the role of camels in Bedouin history, preserving the purebred Arabian camel strains, safeguarding and raising awareness for the inherited heritage, culture and way of life for the Kingdom and the inhabitants of the desert and the desert-dwelling nomads of Arabia.
Judged by a committee of selected Bedouin who are considered experts and fully immersed in the ways and culture of Bedouin life and traditions, with winning camels throughout previous years often fetching millions of dirhams in price.
Event prizes will be awarded throughout the festival with camels assessed in five categories, according to breed and color.
From the Al Wadah white camel to the Al Shual yellow camel, the Al Sefr golden camel, the Al Majahateer dark camel and the Al Homor reddish, brown camel, various features considered most beautiful to each breed are closely assessed to determine the deserving winners. These include; the size of the camel’s head, whether the lips cover its teeth, the length of its neck, to the roundness of its hump, the size of its eyes, how long the lashes are, how the nose droops, whether the ears stand back, how high the hump is and where the hump sits.