RAFEEA, 16 December 2002 — More than 1,000 camels, presented by 185 proud breeders, paraded in a major camel beauty contest held in Rafeea, 300 kilometers northeast of Riyadh.
The contest started on the fourth day of Eid Al-Fitr and ended on Saturday and attracted competitors by offering prizes including 20 cars and SR450,000 in cash.
Rafeea, now with a population of about 6,000 people and many times that number of camels, was established as early as 1381H during the reign of King Saud.
It has a number of government departments as well as schools for boys and girls, a 30-bed hospital, a primary health care center, a telephone office and a post office in the region.
It is though for its camel breeding and competitions that it has attracted recognition.
The first two camels from each category and colors won cars while the third, fourth and sixth winners received cash prizes.
One camel owner refused to accept an offer of SR1.25 million for his camel, saying the offer was too low for his thoroughbred.
Faisal Bandar Al-Dowaish, chairman of the Rafeea Center, which comes under the Eastern Province governorate, and chief organizer, commended Saudis’ support for the competition.
“The contest is held to encourage Saudis to buy and foster highbred and beautiful camels in order to protect this variety of animals which has been living in the Arabian Peninsula since time immemorial,” he said.
Such contests, he said, foster the spirit of fair competition among farmers and breeders and encourage them to take care of the species.
Faisal Humaidi Al-Dowaish, chairman of the organizing committee, said camels of five different colors — (popularly known as Majaheem, Wadheh, Shual, Sefr, Shaqh and Humr — were eligible to take part in the contest.
Rafeea is located in the middle of Samman region, which houses hundreds of thousands of camels. It is about 450 kilometers away from Dammam.
