The Million Star Lifestyle At Al Dhafra Festival
The Million Street Al Dhafra Festival, it is, for 2 weeks of the year, one of the worlds most expensive roads. Despite being an unpaved dirt street, with no high brow brand boutiques, this is where transactions of millions of Dirham are happening, hence its name, the Million Street.
Starting from nearby the arena where the camel beauty show takes place, the road goes on for several kilometers into the desert. Some of the Arab Gulfs prettiest camels walk its path, beautifully dressed up in gold and silver covers as they go to or return from the camel competition. Their owners and keepers are always with them, driving around in four wheel vehicles, music blasting and occasionally dancing around the camels if they won one of the top places in the camel mazeyna (beauty) contest.
To one side of the Million Street, camel camps stretch as far as the eye can see. Usually, each camp has a large tent majlis for receiving guests, flanked by the flags of the country of the owner. Emirati, followed by Qatari and Saudi seemed to make the large majority of campers.
Camping at Al Dhafra Festival is free of charge. Camel owners have to register first, then they are allocated a space, but they dont have to pay for anything. Even camel food and fire wood they receive at discounted price, said Abdullah Butti Al Qubaisi, Director of Projects Management at the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee Abu Dhabi, organizer of Al Dhafra Festival.
Some camel owners spend only a few days at the festival, returning home after their round in the camel competition is over, others stay for the full 10 days of the festival, enjoying the desert life and the great weather.
We have everything here. At the back of the majlis there are tents for sleeping, and even kitchen and bathroom. The festival gave us a water tank and we have some water pumps to make running water. Look, I even have TV here in the majlis; we dont like to watch TV in the desert, but I brought it for the kids, who mostly play games on it, said Mohammed Al Dhaheri, who came here all the way from Saudi Arabia with 20 of his black camels.
Hamed Al Obaidly has his family camel farm only 60 kilometers away, in Liwa, but he is camping in Al Dhafra with 12 of his 60 red haired Asayel camels.
Its beautiful here! It is like going back in time, the way the Bedouin life used to be. We are sitting with friends, sharing news, we cook here and at night we warm up by the fire with karak, he said.
One of Hamads camels just gave birth here, at the festival, and he decided to name the new born baby Dhafra, in honour of the festival.
Someone offered me AED 5000 for the baby Dhafra, but I will not sell it under AED 7000, he pointed out.
Camels, especially young ones, are often sold at high prices at the festival, used for food for people camping here, since the nearest market is about 30 kilometers away.
The festival will end on January 1 with a sour milk competition and the impressive Bayraq camel beauty competition, where the best looking group of 50 camels will win their owner AED one million!
