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RIYADH: Sunny weather on Tuesday attracted more visitors to the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, 120 kilometers northeast of Riyadh.
The total number of visitors to the 28-day camel festival is expected to exceed 2 million, according to the festival organizers.
“The festival has emerged as a grand event with about 1,390 owners of camels participating from different Gulf countries,” said Dr. Talal bin Khalid Al-Torify, spokesman of the festival.
He said this year’s festival seeks “to connect the new generations to the old heritage, while it also serves as an inspiration and reflection of ��������Ƶ’s Vision 2030.”
The slogan for the festival is “Camels are Civilization.”
A total of 270 prizes will be given for camels judged in five different categories, including breed and color, said Al-Torify, adding that the closing ceremony will be held on April 15.
A jury of Bedouins, who are considered experts in camel-rearing, will judge the camels.
Mohammed Al-Shaple, a member of the festival’s media panel, said that programs include how to ride camels.
“The camels are beautifully bedecked and form a colorful spectacle that is a must for everyone to watch,” said Al-Shaple.
He said that arrangements have been made to ensure a comfortable stay for tourists. There are plenty of opportunities for eating, souvenir-shopping and photography at the festival site.
The festival has been organized under the aegis of the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (KAFRA). The KAFRA was founded in 1972 by a royal decree with a mandate to promote the history and heritage of the Kingdom, the Arabian Peninsula and the Arab and Islamic world.