The setting
The festival is held at al-Sayahid, between Rumah and al-Rumahiyah, about 120 km north-east of Riyadh, on a site of more than 225 km². It runs for thirty to forty-five days and brings together cultural, economic, sporting and entertainment programmes.
Its beauty contests were known from 2000 as the King Abdulaziz Mazayen al-Ibl Award. In 2017 the Council of Ministers resolved to develop the festival, and from the third edition in 2018 the Camel Club took over its organisation.
Judging and racing
Judges weigh the neck, nose, height, colour, body, gait and ears, and camels with full, drooping lips are the most prized. Each animal is identified by an electronic chip from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the only recognised proof of ownership, and veterinarians check for tampering and disease.
The ninth edition ran from 1 December 2024 to 3 January 2025, with races carrying prizes of about SAR 200 million. Category names such as Bayraq al-Muassis, Saif al-Malik and Shalfa Wali al-Ahd are taken from King Abdulaziz's instruments of war, and the programme also includes poetry, shailat, painting and photography.