- Title: SYRIA: Palmyra's annual festival kicked-off by a camels' race
- Date: 18th October 2009
- Summary: VARIOUS OF FOLKLORIC EVENING FROM PALMYRA / LITTLE BOY DANCING
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA8OGKTTPNBCE21S0ILU3U1GTC9
- Story Text: Palmyra's annual festival for culture and arts kicked-off on Friday (October 16).
The festival, that includes many cultural and artistic activities as well as traditional concerts and races, started with a camel's race which is known all over the Arabic deserts because it is the traditional race where the most healthy and expensive camels from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and many other countries compete in order to win.
This year's first winner was Qatar's camel Wajba.
Sheikh Ali al-Muntaleb, Leader of Abu Anoud Clan in the Palmyra desert, said that the Syrian atmosphere is preferred because it is clean from any diseases.
"The Syrian atmosphere is away from diseases so its camels are the first in the world. It is healthy, away from diseases, good quality and good health," he said.
Camels racing is an inherited race that is inherited from father to son over generations and requires talented shepherds who can control their camels.
"It is inherited from great grandfathers. It is impossible for someone who is not in the field to become a camel shepherd and even if they become one they would not be good like those who took the career from their parents. Some of these camels are known for more than 100 to 150 years, we know their fathers and their mothers," said Nafe' Ayed al-Fad'ous, a Saudi participant.
Before human rights group complained, child jockeys were used to race the camels. Now technology has meant little robots can do the task just as efficiently but without the great risk posed to children, who often fell off their camels.
The small robots are drawing the attention of bemused foreigners like French tourist, Stephane Villekhuile.
"What is very surprising for me the way the camels are pushed by the small automatic stuff behind. It's very funny and also looking at all the cars following the camels. It's very funny," she said.
Many festivals are being organised in the Syrian cities during the year as a way of the government's policy to encourage tourism.
Syrian Minister of Tourism, Saadallah Agha al-Qala'a, said activities, like the ones organised in Palmyra, had proven to be a success.
"Despite the international financial crisis, growth reached 10 percent compared to last year. This is a good average at the time of the international financial crisis. We are making a lot of efforts of promotion so we can go through this crisis. There are festivals and activities and this festival, for example, the camel's race and the activities that are being done are very important and enrich Syria's tourism. Also it increase the number of tourists and offer them with various productions which helped us to keep a good percentage of the growth despite the economic crisis," al-Qala'a said.
Demand has grown quickly according to the ministry. Tourism already accounts for 13 percent of Syria 's gross domestic product..
Syria has so far tended to attract visitors from other parts of the Middle East, who are less perturbed by its image and more interested in its beach resorts. Two-thirds of visitors last year were Arab, but promotional campaigns by the state and tour operators over the last year have targeted high-end Europeans.
As the East-West crossroads of the ancient world, Syria has been a trade hub for centuries, attracting European adventurers from Lawrence of Arabia to Freya Stark.
Qatari Diyar, a real estate company owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, is building a 350 million U.S. dollar resort on the Mediterranean coast. Kuwait's Kharafi group is building a 361-room hotel in Damascus. Global hotel brands including Movenpick, Kempinski and Holiday Inn also plan developments. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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