Saudi Gazette report

CUSTODIAN of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Thursday attended the closing ceremony of King Abdulaziz Camel Festival 2018 at the Saudi Village for Camels in Sayahid, Riyadh. The King also launched 8-km-long King Abdulaziz Camel Racecourse of Sayahid consisting of seven tracks with a capacity for 100, in addition to 200 cars. Several dignitaries from the Gulf states, including King Hamad Bin Isa of Bahrain, attended the function.

King Salman and the guests watched the last two rounds of the contest. Then, the King distributed prizes to the winners of the first position in King Abdulaziz Prize for Camel Mazayen (Pageant) and King Abdulaziz Prize for Camel Racing. The King and guests watched a theatrical performance titled “Camel: Our world,” and attended the traditional sword dance of Ardha. Poets Hakim Al-Anzi and Muhammad Al-Marri recited poems on the occasion, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

The function was also attended by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, who is also general supervisor of the Camel Club; Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed; Minister of Sports Affairs of Oman Sheikh Saad Bin Mohammed; Sheikh Sultan Bin Suhaim; Sheikh Mubarak Bin Khalifa; Sheikh Jassim Bin Khalifa; Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalifa; Sheikh Fahd Bin Abdullah; Sheikh Khalifa Bin Mubarak and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Fahd; Riyadh Emir Prince Faisal Bin Bandar and Minister of Interior Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Saud.

Around 26,000 camels participated in the “Camel Mazayen” contest, which crowned the most beautiful camel, and these included the world’s tallest camel. More than 300,000 people have attended this year’s festival since it started on Jan. 1, a significant increase on last year. Founded in 1999 by a group of bedouins, the festival has grown to become a major annual event, supported by the authorities.