On the 7 of January 2017, I attended a camel beauty contest in the region of Ibri in Oman.   I had been alerted to this relatively new phenomenon in Oman, though there have been similar festivals  for camels in the wider Gulf region in the United Arab Emirates and in Saudi Arabia for some time.  Unlike camel racing which has a long tradition among the nomads of Oman and elsewhere, camel beauty festivals are not tied to long standing traditions so I was curious to see how they were organized and operated.

This was the third such festival held in Hamra al Duru territory, near Ibri in the Sultanate of Oman.  The Duru’ tribe had long been famous for their camels.   On arrival at the site I was surprised to find such a well –established venue, with parking lanes drawn out in the gravel and rock of the desert  and several enclosures  for craft displays as well as the  selling of refreshments – both commercial Western  snack items as well as local cooking. The main points of interest were, of course, the holding pens for the camels as well as the large marquees for the audience to sit and watch the processions.  This was the last of four days of ‘heats’ and I was eager to see the five sets of finalists – the five most beautiful female camels and the five most handsome male camels.  I had earlier canvassed locals and asked what they thought were the most important features of camels; what made them beautiful in the eyes of the beholders?   Everyone I asked had a different set of characteristics but we all agreed on one thing.  It was the eyes that made the camel so intriguing. Big luminous eyes with long lashes.

The five finalists for the female competition were brought out and paraded in front of the judges who included a Minister of Sport,  as well as several tribal leaders from the Duru’, the  Wahiba, and  the Harasiis tribe.   The camels had all been scrubbed clean and - I think - shaven, leaving tufts of hair on their humps and on their tails.  Their skin looked grand, no scratches, or bumps, just smooth and silky.  They were adorned with woven and twinned decorated straps around their necks and also over and around their back haunches around their humps.     The males were also decorated but not to such excess. They sported decorated straps - which traditionally women of the tribe used to make - around their necks and halters.

The air was filled with nervous energy   as the five final contests in the female and male were brought out for the judges to examine.  The two sets of camels had to be kept apart to keep the males from becoming too excited and start foaming at the mouth.  The judges walked around the contestants several times, occasionally putting a hand up to the necks of the contestants. As the first, second and third places were announced a brief pandemonium broke out as handlers and owners threw powdered saffron on to the winning camels.

Now I had a chance to ask one of the judges.  “What was the basis of your decision”? What makes a beautiful or handsome camel”?  “Well first it is the ears, they must be straight; then the neck has to be strong and upright, then the lower mouth must be soft and straight, and finally the hump must be firm and straight”.  So the eyes didn’t have it; my own personal fondness for the eyes of the camel was not shared by others.

As the camels were being led away I asked another question.  “What is the prize for the winners”?  “It varies”.  I was told by another judge “Today it was a Mercedes Truck, but sometimes it is a cash prize for the equivalent of £100,000 to £300,000. Some owners would never sell their   camels.  Think of all the prize money their progeny might be able to win”.