Camel Beauty Pagents, "It's just like judging a beautiful girl."

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — "It's just like judging a beautiful girl," said Fowzan al-Madr, a camel breeder from the Kharj region southeast of Riyadh. "You look for big eyes, long lashes and a long neck — maybe 39 or 40 inches."

As he spoke, Madr was surveying the offerings at Saudi Arabia's largest camel market, on the outskirts of Riyadh. [snip]

Camel beauty pageants, in which camels are judged on their looks and dressage, are held all over Saudi Arabia. They have become so popular in recent years that a respected Saudi cleric recently issued a decree against them, saying that they encouraged pride.

The death in January of Mashoufan — a male camel who earned celebrity status after winning first prize in a number of pageants and was said to be worth more than $4.5 million — was widely reported, and his owner received condolences from around the country.

Camel breeding is a multimillion-dollar industry in Saudi Arabia, and late winter is an especially popular time for wealthy Saudi camel owners to arrange parties in the desert to spend time with their favorite camels. (continue reading at Seattle Times)

Yeah, I can see the comparison between a beautiful camel and beautiful woman (not).

Comments

[Debbie]

That picture you have is amazing, Bernie. Thanks.

Mustang: I agrfee with you. Too much time with the animals.

[bernie]

Just FYI, I linked to your article from All Beauty Must be Veiled: http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2008/03/all_beauty_must_be_veiled.html

[Mustang]

I suspect that "Fowzan al-Madr, a camel breeder" should spend more time around humans, and less time breeding with camels. It might give him a much needed "new" perspective.

Semper Fi