Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: A pretty hump and prefect lips are what a comely camel needs to bring its owner OMR15,000 in cash.
More than 70 camels in Barka are competing for more than OMR150,000 in prize money at its camel beauty pageant, known locally as the Muzayna.
In pictures: The most beautiful camels in Oman
Before the beauties enter the contest, a team of veterinarians and experienced camel breeders will check to see if the camels are of an authentic Omani breed, and ensure that there are no cases of steroid abuse or buttock implants, according to the head of the Royal Camel Corps (RCC) media, Qaisar Al Hanai. The camels, mostly females, are judged in the competition based upon their eyes, eyelashes, the shape of their head and hump, as well as the way they walk.
Their breeders are asked to swear on the Holy Quran that their camel is a pedigree breed that is owned by him and by an Omani national.
The prestigious six-day contest, divided into six different age categories, started on January 21 and will conclude on January 26. It is part of a series of annual camel racing festivals that were organised by the Royal Camel Corps for 2016 and 2017. The camel racing season started in September 2016 and will finish in March 2017.
On Sunday, a victorious camel named ‘Farhat Al Khaleej’ was honoured with a prize of a new car. Her owner, a breeder from Khaboura, said that this is the seventh crown by his beautiful camel.
Another camel from Suwaiq came in first in the pricing contest, called Tasira, in which the winning camel will be sold to the Royal Camel Corps for OMR15,000.
“Most camel breeders come from regions of North and South Al Batinah, followed by the regions of North and South Al Sharqiyah,” Al Hanai said.
The largest award in the contest for a winning camel is OMR25,000.
According to the laws, only pedigree camels are allowed in the competition. Therefore, crossbred camels are not allowed to compete.
