Beauties embracing the tradition! Oman captured lovely camels rocking their ramp walks
Muscat, January 23: Beauties of nature can stun you in many ways; beautiful white beauties – Camels in Oman performing a catwalk captured hearts of people. Yes, Oman has hosted the annual Camel Beauty Contest at Al Faleij in the Wilayat of Barka which will go on until 25th January.
“Camel beauty contests came into existence to preserve the (pure) breeds of our ancestors,” said Mohammed bin Hamed Al Qutaiti, owner of a camel beauty contestant, Queen.
“They look at the beauty of the head, from its cheeks to its ears, to its lips. The head must be beautiful. Secondly, they look at the neck. “It has to belong. Then there’s ‘Al Ghareb’ (the area between the neck and hump), which has to be long and strong. The hump has to be close to the back. They also take note of the colour and hygiene,” he explained.
“Unlike camel beauty competitions in Pakistan and other parts of the world, here in the Gulf, it’s all about raw beauty and pure breed. The camels participating are from a pure Omani breed, and must be without any crossbreeding. A cross-bred camel is easily spotted,” Mohammed noted. Oman is known for preserving these camel breeds, which is why the culture is encouraged and strict.”
Bedouin tribes from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Emirates gathered at Al Dhafra Festival—an annual meeting best known for its Camel Mazayna, or "beauty contest."