Dh35m up for grabs at camel contest

The fifth edition of the Al Dhafra Camel Festival will see more than 20,000 camels and their 1,300 owners from across the region vie once again for top places in its beauty competition, with prizes of Dh35 million, organisers announced at a conference yesterday. The annual festival, which will run from December 17 to 28, is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)."We have once again seen a growth in the number of participants for the festival, which reflects the continued interest in preserving and highlighting camels as an integral part of the heritage of not only the UAE but the region as well," said Mohammad Khalaf Al Mazroui, Adviser of Culture and Heritage at the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, and Chairman of the High Permanent Committee of the Festival. New features and competitions have also been added, including the launch of falcon beauty competition, along with festival staples, such as the competition for the ‘most milky' camels, the camel auction, in addition to saluki beauty competitions and camel races. The International Festival of Falconry is open to the public until tomorrow, December 17 in Al Jahlili Fort, Al Ain, Salem Al Mazroui, the festival's manager, said.