Abu Dhabi: Al Dhafrah Festival that concluded yesterday proved to be a hit for the third year in a row with more visitors coming to learn about the UAE's culture and heritage.
The eight-day festival that began on January 30 in Al Gharbia (formerly the Western Region) is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
"This is my first time to visit the UAE, and I was amazed by just how nice everyone here is," said Lucas Lai, a visitor from New York.
Amazing
"This is all beyond what I imagined… I arrived here two days ago and immediately came with some friends from Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, they had to go back because they are working but a volunteer here at the festival offered to let me stay at his camel house… that was an amazing experience," Lai said.
"I would love to come back next year. I never thought much about camels before, but they're beautiful creatures and I learnt a lot," he added, laughing.
For some others, even though it was not their first time at the festival, they were impressed by the extended programme of the eight-day festival.
"I visited the festival last year and it was an interesting experience. This year, I came with some friends and we saw one of the camel beauty competition shows, which was interesting," said Margaret Johnson, an Australian expatriate. "Also, we went to the Heritage Village, which was filed with all these stalls by Emirati women that were displaying things they created by hand, using techniques that had been passed down for generations!
"We'll definitely be back next year, and it will be interesting to see what they will do then," she said smiling.
Beauties among beasts: Camel owners overjoyed
The Al Dhafrah Festival 2010 came to a resounding end with the announcement of the winners of the Bayraq camel beauty competition and the subsequent celebrations. "It's like a dream… words can't describe just what I'm feeling right now. It's such an honour that my camels were chosen as the winners," said Rashid Ali Bin Nuss Al Mansouri, who is from the UAE. His 50 camels won the grand prize of Dh1 million in the Asayal or light-haired category.
The Bayraq round was added for the first time at this year's eight-day festival. During this round, participants enter 50 camels each to be judged. This year, 96 owners participated with a total of 4,800 camels for both the Asayal and the Majahim, or dark-haired camels, categories.
"I will definitely participate next year. But for now, it is a time to celebrate!" Al Mansouri said, grinning.
The Al Dhafrah Festival was organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and was held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Bayraq Asayal Winners
Name: Rashid Ali Bin Nuss Al Mansouri
Country: UAE
Prize: 1st Place, Dh1m
Points awarded out of 100: 98
Name: Ghanem Bin Mansour Al Khayrein
Country: Qatar
Prize: 2nd Place, Dh 500,00
Points awarded out of 100: 96
Name: Shaikh Jasim Bin Abd Al Rahman Al Thani
Country: Qatar
Prize: 3rd Place, Dh 250,000
Points awarded out of 100: 93
Bayraq Majahim Winners
Name: Hamdan Bin Ghanem Al Falahi
Country: UAE
Prize: 1st Place, Dh1m
Points awarded out of 100: 99
Name: Ramis Salahi Al Mahali
Country: UAE
Prize: 2nd Place, Dh 500,00
Points awarded out of 100: 98
Name: Khaled Bikheit Bin Tanaf Al Manhali
Country: UAE
Prize: 3rd Place, 250,000
Points awarded out of 100: 97
Have you visited Al Dhafrah Festival? Is this a good way of promoting UAE's culture and traditions?
