CUSTODIAN of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman graced on Thursday the closing ceremony of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. The colorful ceremony was held in the presence of several Gulf leaders at Al-Sayaheed, a small village in Dahana Desert in the Rumah governorate, 140 km northeast of Riyadh city. The King also launched the Saudi Village for Camels project, which is regarded as the first specialized village for camel, its heritage, researches and trade in the Kingdom. King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) organized the region's largest camel festival, which kick-started on March 19 and will come to a close on Saturday. Darah aims to make Al-Sayaheed as the camel capital of the world as part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
The Gulf dignitaries who attended the ceremony included King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain; Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; Chairman of Board of Trustees of Zayed Foundation for Humanitarian Works and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Council Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani and Omani Minister of Sports Affairs Sheikh Saad Bin Mohammed Al-Saadi.
The function was also attended by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, Prince Muqrin, Prince Abdul Ilah, advisor to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Riyadh Emir Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, and Dr. Fahd Al-Semmari, acting secretary general of Darah and general supervisor of the festival.
Upon arrival at the venue of the festival, King Salman was briefed on a model of the Saudi Village for Camels, which includes camel market, camel trail, pavilion for visitors, auction area, village, media center and support service camps. The King honored Prince Mishal Bin Abdulaziz with a shield of honor, received on his behalf by his son Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Mishal.
The monarch then presented the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Order to poet Khalaf Al-Otaibi. The poets — Mishal Al-Harthy and Nasser Al-Faraena — recited Nabataean poems, titled "The Master of Arabs," and the "Decisive King" respectively, on the occasion.
King Salman gave away the King Abdulaziz Prize to winners of the camel race. The traditional Ardah dance was also performed on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Al-Semmari thanked Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, who is also chairman of the board of Darah, for their great support to make the festival a grand event. He stressed about the efforts to make the festival a pioneering and outstanding one, while describing it as a giant step toward future.
Highlighting the significance of Al-Sayaheed, the venue of the festival, he unveiled plans to make this location to become the reference point for everything related with camel. "The Deputy Crown Prince's instructions helped us to give final shape and form to the festival, besides giving distinctive motivation for work, achievement and creativity."
The location of the festival at Al-Sayaheed was for centuries a meeting point for camel caravans arriving from all points on the Arabian Peninsula, carrying goods and trading animals. Al-Sayaheed also has an important place in the history of the camel as combatants. It was the operations base for the camel-mounted followers of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul Aziz, during his campaign to unify the country nearly 85 years ago.
There are plans for expanding the festival beyond its entertainment elements to include a center for camel research, including scientific studies of camel milk and its benefits, as well as a hospital for camels. The festival this year is open to visitors from around the world for the first time, with special visas on arrival being issued through the festival's website. There are about 30,000 camels and more than 1,300 owners from across the GCC taking part in the festival this year.
