Mazayen al-Ibl, also known as the King Abdel Aziz Festival, is a

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

for

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s put on by the Qahtani tribe of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. It is held in Guwei'iyya yearly. In 2007, 250 owners participated, showing a total of more than 1,500 camels. Participants come from every Gulf country except

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, and every region of Saudi Arabia except the south-western mountain region, where there are no camel breeders. The competition is held in respect to the role of camels in

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

history, and to preserve

purebred Purebreds are cultivars of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed. Purebreds breed true-to-type, which means the progeny of l ...

camel strains. No pageant was planned in 2020. Four varieties of camel participate in the show: the majaheem, which is black; the maghateer, which is white; the shi'l, which is dark brown; and the sulfur, which is beige with black shoulders. There is strict health testing and veterinarians present at the event. The event is supported by the King and Crown Prince Sultan. Prizes are awarded to the most beautiful camels in four categories based on the number of camels entered by the owner: groups of 100, 50, 10, and individual camels. The beauty of the camel is based on the "size of its head; whether its lips cover its teeth, the length of its neck and the roundness of its hump" and "big eyes, long lashes, and a long neck." "The nose should be long and droop down, that's more beautiful ..The ears should stand back, and the neck should be long. The hump should be high, but slightly to the back." The most beautiful camel is called the "Bayraq" and can fetch prices of up to $3 million US dollars. In 2007, prizes included 10 million riyals and 72 sports utility vehicles. The winning camels may also sell for prices exceeding one million riyals. There are parts of the festival dedicated to camel trading, where millions of dollars change hands every day. Some members of more stringent

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

schools have accused the shows as being evil, and have stated that those who participate should "seek redemption in Allah". In addition, some breeders refuse to take part in the competition, saying that it has become too commercial because wealthy businessmen, who have no interest in preserving the breeds and are only interested in fame, have started to enter. There are also dances, feasts, and parties during the festival, as well as youth camel shows. A similar contest in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

is the al-Dhafra Festival, which also awards prizes to the best milking camels and hosts camel races. This festival focuses on Asayel (local camels) and Majahim (dark-skinned camels) and also features falcon hunting, Saluki and

Arabian horse The Arabian or Arab horse ( , DIN 31635, DMG ''al-ḥiṣān al-ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easi ...

races, and date packing contests.

References

{{reflist Camels Agricultural shows