bad_meetz_evil
04-29-2007, 09:28 AM
Contestants in a Saudi beauty pageant this week have all the features you might expect anywhere else in the world but with one crucial difference - the competitors are camels.
The Qahtani tribe of west Saudi Arabia has been welcoming entrants to its Mazayen al-Ibl competition, a parade of the "most beautiful camels" in the desolate desert region of Guwei'iyya, 120 kilometres west of Riyadh.
"In Lebanon they have Miss Lebanon - here we have Miss Camel," Walid, the moderator of the competition's website says.
While tremendous oil wealth has brought rapid modernisation to the desert state of Saudi Arabia, the camel remains celebrated as a symbol of the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Bedouin Arabs.
"Bedouin Arabs are intimately connected to camels and they want to preserve this heritage. The importance of this competition is that it helps preserve the pure-breds," Sheikh Omair, one of the tribe's leaders, said.
"We have more than 250 owners taking part and more than 1,500 camels."
Finalists have been decorated with silver bands and body covers.
"The nose should be long and droop down, that's more beautiful," Sultan al-Qahtani, one of the organisers, said.
"The ears should stand back, and the neck should be long. The hump should be high, but slightly to the back."
The camels are divided into four categories according to breed - the black majaheem, white maghateer, dark brown shi'l and the sufur, which are beige with black shoulders.
Arabic has over 40 terms for different types of camel.
Credit: abc.net
The Qahtani tribe of west Saudi Arabia has been welcoming entrants to its Mazayen al-Ibl competition, a parade of the "most beautiful camels" in the desolate desert region of Guwei'iyya, 120 kilometres west of Riyadh.
"In Lebanon they have Miss Lebanon - here we have Miss Camel," Walid, the moderator of the competition's website says.
While tremendous oil wealth has brought rapid modernisation to the desert state of Saudi Arabia, the camel remains celebrated as a symbol of the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Bedouin Arabs.
"Bedouin Arabs are intimately connected to camels and they want to preserve this heritage. The importance of this competition is that it helps preserve the pure-breds," Sheikh Omair, one of the tribe's leaders, said.
"We have more than 250 owners taking part and more than 1,500 camels."
Finalists have been decorated with silver bands and body covers.
"The nose should be long and droop down, that's more beautiful," Sultan al-Qahtani, one of the organisers, said.
"The ears should stand back, and the neck should be long. The hump should be high, but slightly to the back."
The camels are divided into four categories according to breed - the black majaheem, white maghateer, dark brown shi'l and the sufur, which are beige with black shoulders.
Arabic has over 40 terms for different types of camel.
Credit: abc.net