For the first time in the kingdom, Saudi women paraded camels in a beauty pageant for the “desert ship”.
“I hope today to reach a certain social standing, InshaAllah (God willing),” said Lamia al-Rashidi, 27, who participated at the weekend contest in the Rumah desert northeast of the capital Riyadh.
Part of the famous King Abdul Aziz Festival, this event was previously a men-only event.
“I’ve been interested in camels ever since I was little,” said Rashidi, whose family owns 40 camels.
“Once this event was opened to women, I decided to participate,” said the young woman, wearing a black face covering and with a colourful shawl over her shoulders.
The top five in the field of about 40 participants in the women’s event returned home with a total prize pool of one million riyals (about $ 260,000).
The beauty of a camel is judged by several criteria, but the shape and size of the lips, neck and hump are the main attributes.
Since Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman came to power in 2017, Gulf countries have lifted some restrictions on women as the country is opened up with radical reforms.
This shift allows women to grab the steering wheel and participate in a mixed gender environment.
“Women have always been an integral part of Bedouin society. They owned and looked after camels,” said Mohammed al-Harbi, a manager of the festival.
Women´s participation was in keeping with “the historical heritage” of Saudi Arabia, he told AFP.
Munira al-Mishkhas, another participant, chimed in: “Camels have been a part of us for a long time, but staging a contest for us (women) is a big step forward.”
At just seven years old, Maras Binto Enad was the youngest contestant and her animal finished third. Her proud father, a 35-year-old camel dealer who said he had more than 200 beasts, was very pleased with the admission of the female.
“This will increase enthusiasm for the festival and increase the value of the camels,” said Enad bin Sultan, clad in traditional costume and red-and-white keffiyeh headdress.
The 40-day festival, which kicked off last month, is an annual Bedouin event that lures breeders from across the Gulf with total prize money of up to $66 million.
