Thursday, February 25, 2010

Beauty pageant preserves culture of United Arab Emirates

Tamara Walid of Reuters reports from Dubai that one of the biggest and best beauty pageants in the Middle East is set to unfold in the United Arab Emirates. 150 contestants will compete every day for three days, with the top two winning luxury cars and the eight runners-up getting a sizeable number of petrodollars.

The contestants will be adorned with sparkling ornaments, but will otherwise parade totally unclothed -- just as Allah made them -- in front of the judges. The prettiest will be selected, based on general appearance, structure of the body, height, length of neck, and -- a critical factor -- the curve of their humps.

The competitors are, you see, camels. And not just any camels! Their owners must swear to the purity of their lineage and proprietorship. Camels that have been sullied by contact with infidels are disqualified.

In an effort to preserve the Emirates' cultural legacy, the government encourages camel rearing through funding and festivals where the desert animal is paraded for beauty, and sold in auctions. The festival also serves as a meeting point for the country's tribes. Tribesmen are paid by the government to rear camels and preserve a pure lineage of the country's breeds.

At the auction which follows the pageant, Gulf Arabs gather to place their bids or sell for the highest price on offer. Some camels could be sold for as much as 16 million dirhams ($4.36 million), said one participant.

The festival takes place three times a year in Ajman and Abu Dhabi. Said the event's executive director, Shalal Rzooqi al-Shimri, "With the festival, we want to encourage cultural tourism and preserve our heritage."

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