POBNEWS24, Dhaka, 12, 2022: The situation for women in conservative Saudi Arabia is slowly changing. Various restrictions are being lifted including permission to drive on the road. For the first time in the country, women have also participated in the camel beauty contest with their camels. They rode their horses to attend the ceremony.
No such incident has taken place in the country before. For so many days, at the King Abdel Aziz festival, usually men used to compete with their camels.
The predominance in this competition is how long the camel is, with drooping lips, big nose and shapely hump.
“I hope I can reach a certain social position today, God willing,” said Lamia al-Rashidi, who competed in the camel beauty pageant in the northern Ruma desert from the capital Riyadh.
Rashidi said, ‘I have been interested in camels since my childhood. Whenever I heard that women have been given a chance in this competition, I also decided to participate.
Out of 40 participants in this competition for women, the top 5 received a prize of US ২ 280,000. The competition is dominated by how tall the camel is, with drooping lips, a large nose and a pointed hump.
Earlier in December, some contestants were not given a chance in this competition. Because, there is evidence that they use special injections to enhance the beauty of camels.
“Women are an integral part of Bedouin society,” said Mohammed al-Harbi, the event’s manager. They own camels and take care of them. The participation of women in this festival will preserve the historical heritage.
Another female contestant, Munira Al-Mishkas, said, “Camels have been an integral part of our lives for a long time. But this time the opportunity to participate in the competition will take our women far ahead.
The 40-day event, which began last month, is an annual Bedouin event. Various contestants from the Gulf region took part in the event. The total value of the prize is ৬ 68 million.
