Camel racing
Camels
have a high value in the history of the UAE and the whole Gulf area , they
are considered part of their culture and heritage. Camels were mainly used for
transport from one place to another. Their meat and milk were and still are
used as a very valuable source of food for people. The economy of people and
countries depended on the number of camels owned. The riches of the person were
measured by the number of camels he possessed. In addition to these important benefits,
camels were also used in races as a show of skill, power and even beauty. Camel racing is one of the traditional
sports in the UAE that has a lot of popularity. There are various camel racing
events that are held in the UAE to celebrate the camel racing. Camel racing is
the sport of running camels over a certain course of time on a track with a
jockey riding on it.
Camel
racing is as old as the history of the UAE itself and it existed centuries
before the UAE was united. Camel racing can be traced to the early Islamic
period of the 7th century. Although camel racing may have gained more
popularity in some regions of the country and the Gulf area, camel racing
remains as one of the most favorite traditional sports. It has been celebrated at
traditional in gatherings by the local population and in many various festivals
and events. The traditional sport was widely celebrated in Arabia and in a lot
of other countries until the three last decades of the 20th century.
However, after the UAE became a united country, a lot of specialized
organizations began to formally organize festivals and celebrations for camel
racing.
Famous
festivals of camel racing in the UAE:
There
are a lot of camel racing activities that are held all over the UAE. In Dubai,
the heritage festival aims at maintaining and building upon the traditional and
the local sport of camel racing. Al Marmoom Heritage Festival in Dubai has a
series of races that hopes to attract a lot of people and instill the desire
for this traditional sport in the hearts of the UAE locals as a long practice
and tradition and a sport that has a very important part in their lives. Dubai
has been improving the sport with using robotic jockeys in the races instead of
the humans as a kind of using technology in combination with this traditional
sport and there are devices which connect
between the robotic jockeys and the trainer or the owner, which also avoids the
cheating that could happen by feeding the camels some hormones to be faster where
they have to do a full checkup and laboratory analysis in the beginning.
One of the most well-known camel meeting in the UAE is Al Wathba
camel racing. The camel racing festival in Al Wathba provides the spectators
with a marvelous experience of watching the camel racing event. There are
thousands of camels in that area and the distance that camels race over is 8 kilometers.
Every year, there are various activities for camel tracing that include
selecting the fastest camel and the most beautifully decorated ones. The
winning camel owner is granted a reward that can reach millions. A lot of the
camels that have achieved excellent positions in the races were sold for
millions and some of them reached a price of 15 million AEDs.
Sheikhs
of the UAE are very interested in holding camel racing festivals in the country
in order to celebrate their traditions and please their people. Under the
patronage of his highness, Sheikh Hamdan Bin zayed, the Baynounah camel
festival is annually held in Madinat Zayed in the Western region. It was held
this year from 8 to 13 November. This is considered a camel beauty contest for
two categories that include both dark-skinned camels called Majahim and local
Asayel. The festival offered 280 prizes that included cash prizes and luxury
cars. One of the most well known festivals that also host camel racing as an
important part of its events is the Dhafra festival. It is a way to integrate
the traditional sport of the UAE with the national identity of the people in
order to connect their own present to their past. There are two famous families
that participate in the Asayel contest which are Al Mansouri and Al Mazrouei families;
the last year Al Mansouri won the big prize which was two millions and two
four-wheel-drive cars, all models design 2014.
In
conclusion, camel racing is a very important event that is a part of the UAE’s
culture and traditions. There are various festivals that are held for camel
racing all over the emirates of the UAE and these festivals attract a lot of
people who participate in the event in order to revive their traditions and
customs and win valuable prizes. Dubai is also trying to develop the camel
racing tradition by using jockey robotics in order to prevent the injuries that
human jockeys were exposed to during the races. Camel racing connects the past
traditions of the UAE to its current and modern present.
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