The mazayna (camel beauty contest) will be launched tomorrow at the Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Heritage Racecourse in Sweihan, Abu Dhabi, as part of the 17th edition of the Al Dhafra Festival 2023.
The firs phase of the festival, which involves tens of thousands of camels from across the Arabian Peninsula and focuses on purebred breeds from the Asayel (pedigree) and Majaheem (dark-skinned) lineages, will run until 28th October.
The festival highlights the role of camels in the culture and heritage of the UAE and the GCC countries through camel mazayna competitions held in Abu Dhabi for purebred breeds in the categories of Asayel, Majahim, Asayel hybrids and Wadh. The upcoming edition will include Sweihan mazayna, Razeen mazayna, Madinat Zayed mazayna and the concluding festival: Al Dhafra Festival.
Organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi, the festival will be held from 20th January to 8th Februray 2024 after three camel beauty contests in Abu Dhabi (from 11th to 18th November), and Medinat Zayed (from 16th to 23 December).
The 17th edition of Al Dhafra Festival features a total of 361 rounds for all the participating camel breeds – an increase of 35 rounds compared to the previous edition.
The festival also aims to shed light on the region and strengthen the status of Abu Dhabi as the leading destination for camel mazaynas and a regional and global platform for heritage events. It also seeks to highlight and revive the Emirati and Arab heritage through camel beauty competitions, convey UAE’s civilisational and humanitarian message to the world, and promote the values of loyalty and belonging.
