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In Ruma, about 100 kilometers northeast of Riyadh, Omar al-Qahtani's camel was entitled to two weeks of washing, shearing, heating and even warm milk in the heart of an endless expanse of red sand.
This centre opened its doors as part of King Salman ben Abdelaziz Al Saud's prestigious camel festival, held in December-January. The winners of the camel beauty contest are awarded prizes worth a total of around €60 million.
"It's very comfortable. My camel gets pampered and is regularly attended by doctors," said a satisfied al-Qahtani, a 51-year-old businessman from Riyadh. In total, his and his camel's stay will cost him 140,000-190,000 euros.
Omar al-Qahtani, who has been dealing with camels for years, remembers well the time when festival participants set up tents and took care of their animals themselves.
In the "hotel" which includes 120 "single" or "double", open "rooms", about 50 workers tenderly care for and feed all the camels.
According to Mohamed Al Harbi, the festival's press officer, the hotel aims "to protect and care for the camels and also to lighten the weight off the shoulders of their owners."
Surprisingly for the organizers, the hotel made a profit of 1.4 million euros in one month.
Camel breeding is a multi-million euro industry for Saudi Arabia.
Camel breeding is a multi-million euro industry for Saudi Arabia. Similar festivals, such as beauty contests or camel races, are organised throughout the year in the country. Some wealthy Saudis spend hundreds of thousands of euros to buy and care for the most beautiful animals.
Beauty contests judge the shape and size of the camel's lips, neck and hump. In order to win, some participants went so far as to inject their camels with Botox that they were disqualified. This forbidden practice is also punished with a hefty fine of up to 23,000 euros.
Source: APE-MPA
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