THE King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Ramah, about 120 km away from Riyadh, has been distinguished this year for the presence of the tallest camel in the world which will hopefully make it into the Guinness World Records.
Fares Al-Dalbji, a supervisor at the festival, said the camel whose height is three meters breaks the previous record of the tallest camel which is 190 cm.

The eight-year-old yellow camel belongs to Sultan Al-Rashidi from Ha’il, Dalbji said, adding that he has two other camels from the same breed but they are not this tall.
Dalbji said they contacted Guinness which voiced its preliminary approval, adding that work is underway to register the camel.

A team was dispatched to the festival earlier in the week to examine the camel, take samples and install the electronic chip, and a health certificate will later be issued to resume the official registration process.
Dalbji added that there have been offers to buy the camel for $80,000 (SR300,000), noting, however, that the price will increase after it is registered in Guinness.

The festival enters a crucial stage next week as the competition in the beauty and speed categories intensifies and contestants seek to win prizes reaching millions of dollars.

it is the second edition of the world’s largest camel festival. According to the organizers, the festival is held on 30 million sq. meters in the middle of the desert.

The location holds an important historical meaning as it was the starting point of the armies of the Kingdom’s founder King Abdulaziz on their mission to unite the country.

The festival started on Jan. 1 and will continue until Feb. 1, however the more tense rounds in the competition begin next week.

“The number of visitors varies between 25,000 and 30,000 per day,” said Sultan Al-Bokami, the festival’s spokesman. “People come here looking for originality, heritage and culture. There is also a big turnout from foreign residents of the Kingdom and staff members of embassies.”

He added that the foreigners love camels and the desert.

In an effort to stop oil dependence and diversify its economy, Saudi Arabia, which is visited by millions of people who perform their pilgrimage yearly, is reviving its tourism sector to add extra income in light of the drop in oil prices.

Saudi Arabia is set to begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018 for the first time in history.

Around 26,000 camels are participating in the “Camel Mazayen” contest which crowns the most beautiful camel.

The tense competition lead some camel owners to perform plastic surgery on the animals to increase their chances of winning. More than 20 such cases were caught so far, according to the organizers.

“The monitoring of fraud and tampering has proved to be successful,” said Prince Muhammed Bin Turki Bin Saud who is participating in the contest. “This is considered torture for the camel and puts it through severe pain which is inhumane behavior.”

The camel racing competition began on Wednesday to continue until the end of the festival with millions of dollars up for grabs. Owners from Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman are participating as well.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, are due to attend the closing ceremony of the festival, alongside the Kuwaiti prince and officials from neighboring countries. — Al Arabiya English