King Abdulaziz Camel Festival kicks off in Riyadh

Record ID: 1705012

  • Title: King Abdulaziz Camel Festival kicks off in Riyadh
  • Date: 2nd January 2023
  • Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (DECEMBER 28, 2022) (REUTERS) JUDGES DISCUSSING BEAUTY CONTEST RESULTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CHAIRMAN OF JUDGING COMMITTEE OF KING ABDULAZIZ CAMEL FESTIVAL, KHALID BIN SALMAN, SAYING: “The government's interest is due to the fact that camel is an animal wealth, and secondly, they are an ancient and authentic heritage. It is one of the things that the people of this country relate to. Camels are beloved and a large segment of citizens are interested in them, as well as others from the Gulf countries and the Arab countries. There are many important factors to give more attention to them and we would not reach these stages without the great support from the government.” CAMELS AUCTION AT KING ABDULAZIZ CAMEL FESTIVAL VARIOUS OF AUCTION IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CAMELS OWNER, NAIF AL-RAJHI, SAYING: “We are more than obsessed with camels,this obsession is considered a normal thing. We must preserve this heritage of ours and preserve the heritage of our fathers and grandfathers and the pleasure that we feel. We enjoy camels, in which there is a pleasure that observers will never know it until they live this experience.” VARIOUS OF CAMELS AT FESTIVAL MAN STANDING BY HIS CAMEL MAN SHAVING CAMEL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CAMELS OWNER, KHALID BIN HITHLEEN, SAYING: “We are trading, investing in and renting camels, we are investing in our heritage. The camels that make you a million riyals in two months or 45 days are considered as a loss for its owner, so we are thinking of five, six, and ten million in 45 days.” SIGN READING (Arabic/English): "KING ABDULAZIZ CAMEL FESTIVAL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) KING ABDULAZIZ CAMEL FESTIVAL SPOKESMAN, MOHAMMED AL-HARBI, SAYING: “Of course, this high value and this great interest affected the prices of camels, and they increased significantly. Some camels's prices have reach more than 15-20 million riyals, and there is a sale of such things in the market, very large numbers. The festival is considered one of the longest festivals at the local and regional level, it lasts for 45 days. The festival is held on a daily basis in competitions for various categories. The number of camels here exceeds 40,000 camels, the participants are more than 3,000 participants. Through the festival, the number of visitors so far is more than one million.” CAMEL AT FESTIVAL
  • Embargoed: 16th January 2023 09:05
  • Keywords: AUCTION CAMELS FESTIVAL HERITAGE SAUDI
  • Location: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
  • City: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA002989102012023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: With more than 40,000 camels owned by 3,000 participants, Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Camel Festival kicked off in one of the country's longest festivals in the capital Riyadh.
    The festival, which kicked off on November 29 and runs for 45 days, is an opportunity for the prized animal's lovers to trade in auctions for camels that fitch millions of Riyals.
    Organisers and participants say that Saudis' "obsession" with camels have made their prices soar, with one animal's price reaching between 15 to 20 million Saudi riyals ($4 million to nearly $5.5 million).
    The festival, dubbed as a cultural, economic, sports, and entertainment event, has attracted more than one million visitors so far, organisers said.
    The festival has scheduled camel competitions across 75 rounds for all types.
    (Production: Mohammed Benmansour)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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