22nd OF JUNE
THE CELEBRATION DAY OF THE CAMEL
Since 2014, I have been traveling along the Silk Road, the same one taken by ancestors of the past. All these explorers who adventured in the discovery of this amazing world, traveling by camel, crossing these vast spaces, exchanging their knowledge, creating links and writing our history.
My true dream was to become like them, and in 2019, what looked like something impossible became true.
I crossed on camelback 1350 km : the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia with Rakayib and UAE with Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, and was runner-up at the HHC Camel Trek Marathon 2020.
What I have been learning while living with the camels 24 hours a day : they are very utopic and mysterious animals, strong in caring for us, walking those long distances, crossing different landscapes, even in the hard sun and sandstorms. They are like protectors, with their attachment and a unique type of Love. I am really thankful to them to have made me share this experience. We are partners, we are One together.
I had a chance to be invited by Camel Club to assist to the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival,
I wish to transmit this Camel' heritage to the World.
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR CAMELS
BY DR. KHALID ABDULLAH AL-TORKI
BOARD MEMBER OF THE SAUDI CAMEL CLUB
The International Day for Camels is celebrated on 22nd of June every year. The following details elaborate the way this day is celebrated by several major governmental departments in Saudi Arabia.
Camels are one of the most miraculous creatures on earth. God asked us to think about their creation before thinking about the creation of the sky, the mountains and the earth. These animals deserve all the interests, studies and support because the information acquired will benefit future generations for their progress and research.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz has been on the forefront in taking care of camels by making sure they stay healthy in order to prevent them from being extinct. He therefore established The First Camel Club, which is supervised by the Saudi Crown Prince- Prince Muhammad bin Salman and directed by Alsheikh Fahd bin Hethlin.
Through its generous support and unprecedented heritage programs in the four editions, and by adopting qualified national cadres and expertise, The Camel Club has provided important contributions to the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, in addition, the club director’s passion on camels’ wellbeing has made the camel owners grateful for every service the club has contributed in taking care of camels. This has led to the establishment of the International Camel Organization which has continuously played an active role in the camels’ care field.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is making great efforts in preserving and caring for camels by feeding, providing veterinary services and in supervising its registration program through the electronic chip system and other important services that are very well-known to everyone.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs organizes and coordinates Al-Duhana Street which provides everything related to camel yards and slaughterhouses and also provides services that meet the needs of the citizens and the nation as a whole.
The Ministry of Education, through Saudi universities and colleges of agriculture and veterinary medicine, makes an effective contribution to educate and teach the students through its field hospitals about reproduction, diagnosis, and treatment of camels and how to protect them from harm and victimization.
The Ministry of Interior represented by Road Security, Special Forces, Traffic, Civil Defense and other security agencies join forces with the club to enhance the success of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, and to protect the citizens by reducing camel accidents on the roads. They also educate the citizens on the necessary security requirements and safety measures to be observed in the event.
The Ministry of Finance plays a great role in making the King Abdulaziz Festival successful through the implementation of the strategic plans presented by the club that are recommended by the Chairman and its Board of Directors and has been approved by His Highness the supervisor of the club.
The Ministry of Health contributes to the camel festival through providing the fixed and mobile hospitals and health centers that take care of all the injuries or illnesses that might have occurred within the festival from both the owners and visitors.
The Ministry of Trade is also a partner in the camel festival. It monitors the markets and ensures the conditions and instructions of the products are well observed and applied.
The Ministry of Media has a major role in facilitating the media mission and directing the transmission of all the festival activities through well-known media channels. Qualified national cadres work tirelessly day and night to cover these events comprehensively.
The Ministry of Culture, in its new form, has a strategic relationship ingrained in the camel festival. It plays active roles in delivering the camels’ culture and owners to the vision of the club’s general supervisor and of Saudi Vision 2030.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance participates in camels’ festival by offering fixed and mobile mosques which provides services to the owners, participants, visitors and other segments of society.
Ministry of Tourism is an important partner in presenting a clear image about camels’ heritage and authentic Saudi traditions such as generosity, magnanimity, social cohesion and in discarding racism and factionalism. This gives a good impression of national tourism composition.
The Ministry of Transport provides to and fro transportation to the visitors and those wanting to visit the festival and its activities. They offer great services all the time which lias with the studied and programed plans with Camels’ Club.
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology provides King Abdul-Aziz Camel Festival with great services by offering communication networks and supports with fixed and mobile towers. Also, the ministry provides the most recent findings in the world of communications and social networking programs.
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology is a major partner of the camel club, through DNA analyzes, studies and research carried out in Saudi Arabia
Each of State Security, the Royal Guard and the Royal Ceremonies, the Saudi wildlife Authority, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, the Saudi standards and Metrology Authority, the General Entertainment Authority, the Food and Drug General Authority, the Supervision and Investigation Authority, the National Anti-Corruption Authority, the Saudi National Electricity Company and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority participate in this amazing festival.
The Camel Federation in the Ministry of Sports provides services to its owners through camel races. It is also in charge of its competitions and controlling their prices.
We need to intensify the efforts and plans to benefit from the information we have that serves the camels. This is because we can rarely find an equal to such an animal in the animal world, and this has been proven by the west themselves.
By mentioning all of the above to the honorable reader on the global camel day, we extend our gratitudes to God Almighty for the many blessings that he has blessed us. We pray He eradicates Corona pandemic from our country and from the whole world. We also pray to God to grant us security and safety in our homelands and honor our event governors with many blessings. May Allah (God) make it possible for us to celebrate this day and keep all camel owners and lovers fine and safe.
THE EMPTY QUARTER
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