The fictional Hunchback of Notre Dame suffered from his hump. But here, 180 kilometres from the skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi, a really large growth is considered the height of beauty. And if black, bristly hairs sprout from it—even better. Add puffy, drooping lips, and the ideal of beauty is complete. We are talking about camels here—female camels.
In December 2021, German photographer Caspar Wündrich travelled to the United Arab Emirates to attend the Al Dhafra Festival’s camel beauty contest in the Gulf. What sounds bizarre to us is a big thing in the Arab world, because it’s all about glamour, honour and a lot of money. A total of ₹117 crores is up for grabs as the region’s uber-wealthy camel owners send their extremely valuable even-toed ungulates to compete on the camel catwalk.
The action takes place at the edge of the Rub al Khali, the world’s largest sand desert, a two-hour drive southwest of Abu Dhabi. All around there is hectic activity; photographers, TV crews, curious spectators and excited competitors.
From inside the gates of this huge festival that celebrates Bedouin culture, a very old-fashioned smell wafts out—an aroma of stables and camels. Entry to the competition is strictly guarded. After waiting a while, Wündrich was finally led through the entrance gate—a wire fence covered with hessian—by attentive guards.
There he entered a world where modern-day big money and Arab history combine to form an intriguing mixture of old and new culture.
この記事は Reader's Digest India の July 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Reader's Digest India の July 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
ME & MY SHELF
Siddharth Kapila is a lawyer turned writer whose writing has focussed on issues surrounding Hinduism. His debut book, Tripping Down the Ganga: A Son's Exploration of Faith (Speaking Tiger) traces his seven-year-long journey along India's holiest river and his explorations into the nature of faith among believers and skeptics alike.
EMBEDDED FROM NPR
For all its flaws and shortcomings, some of which have come under the spotlight in recent years, NPR makes some of the best hardcore journalistic podcasts ever.
ANURAG MINUS VERMA PODCAST
Interview podcasts live and die not just on the strengths of the interviewer but also the range of participating guests.
WE'RE NOT KIDDING WITH MEHDI & FRIENDS
Since his exit from MSNBC, star anchor and journalist Mehdi Hasan has gone on to found Zeteo, an all-new media startup focussing on both news and analysis.
Ananda: An Exploration of Cannabis in India by Karan Madhok (Aleph)
Karan Madhok's Ananda is a lively, three-dimensional exploration of India's past and present relationship with cannabis.
I'll Have it Here: Poems by Jeet Thayil, (Fourth Estate)
For over three decades now, Jeet Thayil has been one of India's pre-eminent Englishlanguage poets.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Penguin Random House India)
Samantha Harvey became the latest winner of the Booker Prize last month for Orbital, a short, sharp shock of a novel about a group of astronauts aboard the International Space Station for a long-term mission.
She Defied All the Odds
When doctors told the McCoombes that spina bifida would severely limit their daughter's life, they refused to listen. So did the little girl
DO YOU DARE?
Two Danish businesswomen want us to start eating insects. It's good for the environment, but can consumers get over the yuck factor?
Searching for Santa Claus
Santa lives at the North Pole, right? Don't say that to the people of Rovaniemi in northern Finland
