Camel races in Dubai

Camels and camel races in Dubai have always been prized possession of Arabs. The number of camels used to be a matter of pride for them, as they could use the camels for wool, food, and most importantly, transportation. Arabs have also written lots of poems about camels to show the love that they have for the animals. They used to call their camels the same way they would call one another.

Camel races in Dubai

Although modern technology has taken over Dubai, as well as parts of UAE, camels are still loved by its people. Camels can only be seen in Dubai as tourist attractions but found more commonly in farms on the city outskirts.

Dubai camel racing

As the Dubai camel racing culture seemed to fade away due to modernity, they worked on reviving it, and today, camel racing is again one of the richest races in the world. In a typical championship, hundreds of camels seem to take part, and the owner of the camel takes home a good amount of money.

Camel racing track

The sport even has a whole community of loyal local followers. The biggest camel racing track is located near Al Marmoon Heritage Village and the Al Lisaili area. Called the Al Marmoum camel racing track in the Dubai Camel Racing Club, it is around half an hour’s drive away from the city of Dubai. Its annual championships are the most prestigious camel races in Dubai, where the winning team gets luxury cars, along with prize money of 80 million dirhams as well as trophies.

Dubai camel racing calendar 2019

Camel racing history in UAE

The camel races in Dubai begin early from 7 am to 9 am, and it can certainly be worth someone’s time to pay this unique sport a visit, as one can also notice plenty of tourists make their way to Al Marmoon so that they can experience this event, that shows us Arabian culture and heritage.   All events of the Dubai Camel Racing can be found in the Dubai camel racing calendar 2019  or 2020 and secure one of the most popular tickets for these events in good time ( camel racing history in UAE ).

Camel racing Dubai robot jockey

Camel racing rules

For a long time, children were used as jockeys because of their lightweight. However, the UAE banned the use of children in the sport, in 2001, after which the sport started to get a bit modernized. It led to the development of robot jockeys, which are a safer alternative to human jockeys. Human jockeys also slowed down the camel, however, the robots are made of metals like aluminum, and a typical camel racing Dubai robot jockey weighs around 27 kilograms. The robots come with features such as GPS, helping the owners track the speed and the location of the camel. It also has a heart rate sensor, helping them monitor the camel’s health ( camel racing rules ).

Camel racing in UAE

Only specific breeds of camels are used for the camel racing in UAE. They include the native breed Mahaliyat, the Sudanese breed called Sudaniyat, or Omaniyat from Oman. There is also Muhajanat and interbred. Most of the camels can run as fast as 65 kilometers an hour. The camels which are chosen for the races are trained from quite an early age. Most of them are chosen for training from the age of two. The rules prohibit anyone from picking younger camels, as their bones and muscles would not be fully developed.

 

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