The final leg of the 19th Al Dhafra Festival begins tomorrow
Al Dhafra, 2 January / WAM / Competitions and events for the final leg of the 19th edition of the Al Dhafra Festival will begin tomorrow in Madinat Zayed in the Al Dhafra region, organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, and in a strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and the main sponsor, the “Modon” group. The festival will continue until January 22nd.
The festival is a prominent heritage event that celebrates the position of camels in Emirati culture, and embodies the leadership’s vision of preserving heritage and passing it on to generations.
The festival brings together the elite camel owners from the UAE and the Gulf countries, through various heritage auctions and competitions, to form a heritage and tourism forum that enhances national identity and supports the local economy. It also enhances the position of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a premier destination for camel auctions and a regional and global platform for heritage.
The final leg of the festival will witness the organization of a number of competitions and heritage events, for which 2,655 prizes have been allocated with a total value of more than 59 million dirhams, the most prominent of which are the camel auction, the milking parlor competition, the falconry competition, the purebred Arabian horse race, the Saluki race, the Arabian saluki pageant, the date and packaging competition, the Al Dhafra Arabian horse beauty pageant, and the Arabian Saluki competition. Sheep of Bliss, an archery competition, a sour milk competition, and other events and competitions in the Al Dhafra Heritage Market and the accompanying events field.
Camel grooming competitions will be held over the days of the festival in 118 rounds for purebred camel breeds of the locals, Al-Majahim, Al-Wadh and Al-Asayel, for which 1,135 prizes worth 53 million and 797 thousand dirhams were allocated. In the stall competition, the organizing committee allocated 6 rounds, including four rounds for the local ones (Orabi Talad, Khawawir Talad, Orabi Sharaya, Khawawir Sharaya). There are two rounds for Al-Majahim 1 and Al-Majahim Open, for which 60 prizes were allocated, distributed among the first ten places in each round, with a total value of one million and 800 thousand dirhams.
Al Dhafra Heritage Market offers various activities and programs for visitors to the festival and guests of Madinat Zayed in the Al Dhafra region. The market includes a number of sales outlets, heritage corners, pavilions of participating entities, and a theater for events. It hosts a number of heritage competitions, children’s competitions, and folk arts performances, in addition to what is offered by the pavilions of participating and supporting entities.
While “Makshat Al Dhafra Camp” gives festival visitors the opportunity to taste popular Emirati foods and learn about their preparation methods, as popular cooking programs are held daily in the camp located on the opposite side of the festival, in addition to many segments presented in a distinctive heritage atmosphere.
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