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The 11Th Al Dhafra Festival Begins Today

Sour milk (laban), classic cars and shooting are the very first three competitors to open the 11th Al Dhafra Festival today, December 14th, on the outskirts of Madinat Zayed in Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate.

The much awaited camel mazaynah (appeal) competitors begin today and will proceed day-to-day till completion of the Festival, on December 28th, with the exception of Friday the 15th and the 22nd. Altogether, there will certainly be 82 camel competitors this year, consisting of the well-known Bayraq, granting AED one million for the best looking group of 50 camels in each gold Asayel and black Mujahim camels groups.

Organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Board - Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra Festival is a celebration of Bedouin heritage, for this reason the thousands of visitors expected daily will experience shows and competitors that discuss all columns of desert culture - camels, falconry, saluki, horses and dates.

With over 1,500 camel owners and a minimum of 20,000 camels camping on the Festival's desert grounds, this is among the world's biggest Bedouin events in the world. People are coming from as far as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, in addition to from all throughout the UAE, to commemorate centuries old desert customs that were handed downed from generation to generation. Throughout both weeks Festival, there will be camel shows, falconry, saluki racing, poetry chanting, Emirati cooking and dates competitors, classic cars and art workshops influenced by life in the Empty Quarters, handicrafts competitions and a conventional market and, for the first time ever, a daily Bedouin program.

Considering that its initial edition in April 2008, Al Dhafra Festival had a dual function: to maintain, encourage and promote Emirati heritage and to give a financial boost to the region.

" This is the largest occasion in al Dhafra Region. It celebrates and honours the traditional way of living people still reside in this area. Our culture, heritage and traditions are still quite part of the day-to-day live in Al Dhafra Region, and this Festival provides people an opportunity to share, in various ways and via many different practices, their love for their nation and their origins," stated Mr. Abdullah Butti Al Qubaisi, Director of Events and Communications Department at the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Board - Abu Dhabi.

" For the previous decade, Al Dhafra Festival has actually opened up different trade channels, created earnings and raised awareness on advertising and marketing tools for the people in the region. Through competitions perform at worldwide criteria, individuals learnt ways to package their inventions, for example, they discovered ways to far better care for their date palm trees or their animals. The Festival likewise revealed individuals new, creative methods of presenting their heritage, ways that also guarantee their tradition is passed on to their children."

"From an economic perspective the Festival continuouslies make a significant impact on local businesses. Weeks before the Festival, all resorts in the region are completely reserved, restaurants and cafes are really busy and virtually every solution and goods suppliers prosper".

More busy than ever, there are over 20 various competitors, tasks and shows at Al Dhafra Festival 2017. In total, 1,400 competition champions will certainly walk away with AED 38 million in prizes.

New this year will be a day-to-day Bedouin show, with authentic local desert traditions presentations, a capturing competitors open up to anyone who intends to participate and a shallah competitors. A Nabati kind of poetry, shallah is commonly improvised knowledgeable, dedicated to attractive camels by their proprietors or even complete strangers that happen to see them and can not assist sharing their appreciation. Shallah has actually constantly become part of Al Dhafra Festival, generally recited by males praising the elegance of camel competition victors, which prompted the organisers this year to spotlight this sort of verse right into a festival competitors.

Also happening this year are several Festival favourites: the Ghanam Al Naim Mazayna (lamb charm competition), the Purebred Arabian Competition, the Falcon Mazayna and the Falcon Searching Competitors, the Arabian Saluki Conventional Race and the Arabian Saluki Elegance Competition, in addition to the very best Dates Competitors.

Last year, Al Dhafra Festival had actually drawn in more than 90,000 site visitors and this year similar numbers are expected. Much of them choose to pitch a tent on the Festival's desert premises to enjoy the campfires, verse recitals, camel trade information and tales from the old days. In 2015, the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Board - Abu Dhabi has prepared an unique site visitors' hospitality camp, which is likewise established this year, and organisers urge visitors to use its facilities.

"Pitching a small tent out there is dangerous. The desert is not lit in the night and there are 4x4 cars driving across it, so they could easily hit a small tent, not being able to see it in time," alerted Mr. Al Qubaisi.

"At the Committee's camp, we already have camping tents readily available for site visitors to make use of, where they will be risk-free," he included.

There are likewise several food outlets set up at the Festival and the permanent souk opened last year has a little grocery store. Other eating choices are both coffee shops of Tilal Liwa Hotel, right next to the Festival or the coffee shops and restaurants midtown Madinat Zayed, concerning 10 kilometers away.

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