JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is gearing up to host its sixth year of the world’s biggest camel festival, drawing camel owners from around the world.
The camel festival, which will continue for 40 days, is scheduled to start on Dec. 1 in Riyadh, bringing together camel owners from the Gulf, the US, France, Russia and the Kingdom, according to SPA.
The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is an annual international cultural, economic, sports and entertainment event organized by the Saudi Camel Club.
About 33,000 camel owners are expected to participate in the festival this year, which will be located in an area of 32 sq. km. north of Riyadh.
The carnival is a destination for tourists from across the world with more than 100,000 visits a day, SPA reported.
The Saudi Camel Club is finalizing applications for interested participants, which are due by Nov. 16.
Participants will compete in 19 different categories with the aim of winning the grand prize of more than SR250 million ($66 million).
The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has recorded 1.4 million camels across the Kingdom.
In previous years, the festival has included activities such as racing, best-looking camel awards, auctions and camel training.
In 2019, the festival featured its first Saudi female competitor, Princess Sirene bint Abdulrahman.
Initiatives such as the festival represent an important part of the camel club’s efforts to build on the Kingdom’s rich history and culture and showcase the importance of camels in Saudi Arabia’s heritage.
Saudi Arabia gears up to host world’s largest camel fest
https://arab.news/nr8r2
Saudi Arabia gears up to host world’s largest camel fest
- The Saudi Camel Club is finalizing applications for interested participants, which are due by Nov. 16.
Foreign ministers chair Saudi-Omani coordination council meeting in Muscat
MUSCAT: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi on Monday.
They reviewed bilateral relations between their nations and ways to enhance and develop them across various fields. Additionally, they discussed regional and international developments.
The ministers co-chaired the third meeting of the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council in the Omani capital, Muscat, with the participation of the heads of the Council’s subsidiary committees and the two heads of the Council’s General Secretariat teams.
The meeting comes as an affirmation of the keenness of Saudi and Omani leaders to strengthen ties and advance them toward greater prosperity for both nations.
In his remarks during the meeting, Prince Faisal affirmed that gathering builds on the previous council meeting, held last year in AlUla, and on its positive and fruitful outcomes within the framework of the approved recommendations and initiatives.
He stressed the importance of continuing the work of the council’s subsidiary committees to complete the necessary procedures to implement the remaining initiatives, and of the General Secretariat’s role in follow-up and in addressing any challenges that may hinder implementation.
He also underscored the importance of developing and enhancing trade relations, stimulating investment, and strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors.
He also praised the ongoing work to establish and launch the Coordination Council’s electronic platform, which aims to connect all committee work and initiatives to facilitate follow-up on the Council’s progress.
Al-Busaidi affirmed in his remarks the qualitative progress in relations between the two countries and the notable development witnessed across numerous sectors toward achieving economic integration and enhancing intra-trade and joint investments.
The Omani foreign minister also highlighted deeper cooperation in the security and judicial fields, as well as the cultural and tourism sectors, noting the advanced and continuous political cooperation, consultation, and coordination on regional and international issues.
