On Mar 30, 3:35 pm, kangarooistan <perama...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> ten thousand camels participate in Abu Dhabi's Mazayin Dhafra Camel
> Festival
>
> Sheikh Beti expects Mazayin Dhafra to be biggest camel festival in
> whole of Arab Gulf region.
>
> ABU DHABI - More than ten thousand camels have been registered to take
> part at Abu Dhabi's Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival 2008 which will be
> held from April 2nd to the 10th, said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Beti Al
> Hamed, Representative of Abu Dhabi Ruler in the Western Province and
> the head of the High Committee of the festival.
>
> The event, expected to be the biggest and most comprehensive camel
> festival in the whole of the Arab Gulf region (more than 10000 camels
> participate), offers more than 35 million UAE Dirhams and 100 cars in
> prizes.
>
> Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait are taking part in the
> festival.
>
> Sheikh Beti expressed his gratitude to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al
> Nahyan, President of the UAE; and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
> Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for sup****ting the festival.
>
> Sheikh Beti praised the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture
> and Heritage (ADACH), the event's organizers, for their role in
> helping to preserve the heritage of Abu Dhabi via many pioneering
> initiatives, including the renowned "Poet of the Million" TV show.
>
> Sheikh Beti hailed the special efforts of Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al
> Nahyan, President of ADACH; and Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director
> General of ADACH.
>
> The 9-day festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin
> Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, includes a rare 'camel
> beauty contest', singing shows, display of UAE handcrafts, and other
> activities.
>
> The event, which will take place in Zayed City in the Western
> Province, is dedicated to special shows for 'Asayel' (pedigree) and
> 'Majahim' (dark-skinned).
>
> The camels would be divided into age groups and owners can participate
> with more than one camel as long as they prove their owner****p. The
> participating camels are required to be of a purebred origin and free
> of any contagious disease or serious defects.
>
> "The economic impact of the festival has already been felt in the
> Western Province as local businesses are thriving thanks to the influx
> of participants from the Gulf Cor****ation Council (GCC) countries and
> camel owners who are preparing for the festival," said Sheikh Beti.
>
> Although there is a noticeable increase in camel prices, Sheikh Beti
> maintained that "some camel owners are refusing to sell them before
> the contests so that they can keep high hopes of winning, while others
> just want to take part in this landmark festival even though they
> appear to have no chance of winning."
>
> Preparations were undertaken to cater for the needs of the
> participants and spectators as well as the camels that will be
> provided with free medical care in addition to food and water supply.
>
> Sheikh Beti stressed that the festival "provides equal op****tunities
> for all participants", adding that the judges, whose names will remain
> secret throughout the event, "come from all the Arab Gulf sates and
> enjoy total independence."
>
> Coinciding with the event, there will be a number of other events that
> include poetry recital evenings, traditional handcraft exhibitions,
> and symbolic participations from a number of official institutions.
>
> The event, which has already captured wide media attention, will be
> covered in detail by various news publications across the GCC.
>
> Ghanem Hariz Al Mazrouei, director of the festival, said the special
> attention given to the event by the UAE officials, especially Sheikh
> Beti, has made sure the camel festival would become a great success.
>
> Speech of Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei
>
> Director General of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage; Vice
> Chairman of the High Committee of the Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival
>
> The establishment of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage
> came to embody the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al
> Nahyan to consolidate the role of the people of the United Arab
> Emirates in preserving their national identity, the value of their
> heritage, and stressing the im****tance of heritage in enriching the
> cultural environment of the future.
>
> The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, inspired by the
> words of the late Sheikh Zayed who said "he who has no past has no
> present", and with the directions of the President of the United Arab
> Emirates His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in addition
> to the continuous sup****t of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
> Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the
> UAE Armed Forces, has taken large steady steps and achieved im****tant
> accomplishments in a short period of time in its effort to preserve
> the deep-rooted heritage of the Emirates.
>
> Continuing with our strategy to preserve the cultural heritage of Abu
> Dhabi and the whole of the Emirates, and to ensure that our
> forefathers' rich heritage reaches generations to come, we have
> organised "Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival 2008", under the patronage of
> Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hoping that the event would
> become an annual gathering to revive our folklore s****ts.
>
> As Bedouin life had been associated with courage, generosity, and
> other gentlemanly characteristics, it has also been linked to
> chivalry, falcon hunting, and pedigree camel riding. For camels hold a
> dear place in traditional Arab spirit. The various types of camel
> racing have continued to attract our attention today as they have
> remained an im****tant part of our forefathers' heritage.
>
> In its effort to preserve our rich heritage and pass it to future
> generations, Abu Dhabi had organised the first public auction for the
> sale of pedigree camels during the International Hunting and
> Equestrian Exhibition on September 2005. Abu Dhabi, through the
> pedigree camels reproductive centre in Swayhan, has produced the first
> ever "test-tube" camel in the world, which helped in preserving
> purebred camels. Abu Dhabi also takes pride in succeeding in its robot
> camel riders' experiment, which utilised the latest technologies to
> develop this traditional s****t.
>
> Preserving the rich heritage of the Emirates and passing it on to
> future generations constitutes one of the most im****tant missions
> which the people of the United Arab Emirates wish to undertake, by
> connecting our culturally rich past with our aspired bright and
> prosperous future.
>
> On this occasion, we wish to thank all of the sponsors of this event -
> The Municipality Council of the Western Province, Dhafra Association,
> and Al Shareef Cars - in participating to preserve our deep-rooted
> heritage. We are absolutely confident that this event would become a
> successful annual one that lives up to our standards and to the
> aspirations of the people of the region.
>
..
> http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=25097
still time to catch the main show
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