Tag: Camel Trek

Dubai, 3 December, 2017: The third edition of the National Day Camel Marathon was held on Sunday, December 3rd, at Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Al-Salam, Dubai. With 42 participants, who set off in the early hours of the morning, around a challenging 25km desert course.

The marathon, organized by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, is held annually in cooperation with the Dubai Camel Racing Club, as part of UAE’s National Day celebrations. In celebration of the 46^th National Day this year, the third edition, saw the riders displaying their full range of skills, with the finest performances along the course, as a testament to their true heritage.

On the occasion, Ms. Souad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC congratulated the Rulers and people of the United Arab Emirates, in addition to congratulating the winners. She further expressed her pleasure in once again organizing this authentic heritage sport as part of the 46th National Day celebrations. “Today’s marathon has built upon the success of the previous two events, as exemplified by experience and knowledge of the riders, which has helped raise the bar in terms of the level of commitment and skill shown by these professionals in the field of camel racing. In order to complete this enduring marathon, the riders have increased their levels of fitness with intensive training. Consequently “We noticed that the finish line in previous years saw few competitors, but this year there were more than 12 riders coming to the finish line and only a few seconds apart at the finish line,” said Souad Ibrahim.

Winners

Ghudair Ghulam Musa Al Balooshi on the back of the “Mashgheb”, who took an early lead within the first 2km, finished in 1^st place in a time of 1 hour and 5 minutes, in a closely matched race, which saw his elder brother Shafar Ghulam Musa Al Balooshi on the back of “Mowalaa” finish second, by no more than a camel length, for the 2^nd year running. Khamis Ali Saeed Al-Malai finished third.

For his part, Ali Bin Surood, Executive Director of the Dubai Camel Racing Club, congratulated the winners, the leadership and the people of the UAE on the occasion of the 46th National Day. “The two most important factors in this marathon are the ability of the rider and the capability of the camel. The distance is 25km, and the rider and camel must work together in total synergy. This marathon truly tests the endurance of both, the riders need to have high levels of fitness and stamina, in addition to showing a great level of patience and skill in planning their race strategy.”

“Mashagheb is one of the fastest and most compact camels I’ve ever owned,” said Ghudair Ghulam Musa Al Balooshi, winner of the first place, who started riding camels at the age of seven. Both my brother and I prepared for the marathon by training twice a day for over 4 months, he added.

“This marathon is one of the most difficult races I have ever participated in, it was a race that truly tested both my mental and physical stamina, as well as that of the camel. While I took an early lead, I had to focus on conserving my energy, so I could make it to the finish. Only after I crossed the finish line, did I realize just how close the race had been. I was delighted to see my brother come in second place”.

“I have participated in the previous years, and what impressed me in this year’s marathon was the number of competitors who managed to finish the race, which was great. “I thank the organizers for arranging this evet as part of the National Day celebrations, and congratulate the people of the UAE and their Rulers.”

Awards

The winner received a 4X$ Nissan Patrol and a Golden Sword, while second placed Shafar Ghulam Musa Al Balooshi received a cash prize of 70 thousand dirhams, and the third placed Khamis Ali Saeed received a cash prize of 30 thousand dirhams. All the riders up to 30th place received cash prizes to encourage them to participate in this event and thereby preserving the country’s Heritage.

The official sponsors of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center are Al Tayer Motors and Land Rover, Dubai Airports, Abdul Wahid Al Rostamani (Al Arabiya Motors), Global Village and Al Oula Radio.

DUBAI, 30^th November 2017: The third edition of the National Day Camel Marathon, organized by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) in cooperation with Dubai Camel Racing Club, to celebrate UAE’s 46^th National Day, will take place on Sunday 3rd December 2017 in Dubai International Endurance City, Saih Al Salam.

The Camel Marathon, organized as part of the Center’s extensive efforts to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of the UAE, is part of the ongoing 46th UAE National Day celebrations.

Open to UAE citizens above 18 years of age, the National Day Camel Marathon is set to begin early morning on Sunday.

Souad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, stated the Camel Marathon has been launched to showcase Emirati heritage on a national occasion.

She said: “Camel racing is one of the most enduring and centuries-old traditional sports in the UAE. Last year we renamed the race as the National Day Camel Marathon since it coincides with the UAE’s National Day celebrations, this year, we intend to build upon the success of last year with more participants expected”.

The inaugural Camel Marathon saw the participation of 72 UAE national contestants between the ages of 18 and 50. This number grew to 100 participants in the second year and is expected to grow further this time around.

“The National Day Camel Marathon is in line with the Center’s initiatives aimed at safeguarding our intangible cultural heritage and encouraging Emiratis to participate in traditional sports in an atmosphere that exudes a sense of national pride and community spirit. The National Day Camel Marathon occupies pride of place in Fazza Championships annual events calendar and serves as another platform for encouraging the younger generation to take up traditional Emirati sports and keep in touch with their heritage.

“This unique Marathon will also showcase the kindred spirit between man and animal. The National Day Camel Marathon will be conducted in a professional manner under the strict supervision of Dubai Camel Racing Club with no jockeys used during the challenging and energy sapping 25-kilometre distance. Most of these camels would have trained for nearly three months for this race. Only those who have grown up breeding camels will understand the potential of their charges. We wish the participants best of luck.”

Ali Bin Surood, Director of Dubai Racing Club said: “We see the cultural, sports and traditional activities we hold as a means of reviving the customs and practices of our ancestors. Camels were a key means of livelihood for the people of the Arabian Peninsula. They taught people patience and endurance and even had songs and poems written about them. Hence we at Dubai racing Club are keen to introduce new ways to try and inspire citizens to breed and care for camels. In cooperation with HHC, this camel marathon is held to realize our visions.”

Valuable prizes will be awarded to the winners, including cash prizes.

DUBAI, 28th January 2017: The participants in the third edition of the ‘Camel Trek’ organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) were overwhelmed by the hero’s welcome they received after successfully completing a journey of a lifetime in the desert of the UAE.

A group of 13 men and women returned to Global Village on Friday January 27^th after having set out on Saturday 21^st January on a week-long expedition where they turned the clock back traversing the pristine sands of the desert used by people in ancient times.

The caravan comprised camel riding enthusiasts from Oman, United States, Egypt, France, United Kingdom and the UAE.

They were selected for the ‘Camel Trek’ after expressing interest in following the footsteps of people who lived in the desert and underwent an intensive training program by the organizers HHC.

Traditional welcome

A large crowd gathered at the Heritage Village were treated to an exhibition of traditional dances such as ‘Ayala’ and a ‘Al Harbiya’ performance by an Emirati folk troupe in honour of the trekkers. As part of the time-honoured tradition, saffron was put on the faces of camels. There were also Youllah performances by Yuweel artistes, falconers were also present and even small sand dunes were made so that the camels would feel at home, all of which created a mosaic of a different era.

Mr. Mohammed bin Huraiz, The Manager of Chief Executive Office of HHC, expressed delight at the successful conclusion of the ‘Camel Trek’.

“We are happy to have organized it and all the participants came home safe. They were very cooperative and did their best to achieve their goals without any complains. We are very proud of them and pleased to have organized this historic journey,” he said.

Resilience

Leader of the convoy Khalifa bin Sabeen praised the resilience displayed by the group of Emiratis and expatriates during the gruelling expedition which took them to Al Ain and to the borders of Oman.

“The most beautiful memory of the trek came on the third day when we started entering the sand dunes. It was most the awesome, most amazing and picturesque view I have ever seen,” said Khalifa.

The group of trekkers who had become a large family after experiencing the traditional Emirati hospitality and leading a nomadic life in the desert, were sad that the ‘Camel Trek’ had come to an end. In a short space of time they even managed to create a bonding with the camels and shrugged off the challenges they face after covering nearly 50 kilometers a day and vowed to return again.

‘Superhero’

Among the diverse group of trekkers was an Arabic-speaking American Mike Metzger who felt like a ‘Superhero’ after the completing the trek.

“Everything hurts. Knees, back, hands… but inside you feel like a superhero. Like you can do anything,” said Mike who has never been in the limelight before.

“It was beyond this world. Never have I seen so many cameras, so many media and so much applause,” he said of the reception organized by HHC.

“As for the Camel Trek it was like walking through a gateway going back a thousand years in ancient times. What I like to remember is the pure traditional life of the Emirati people and the natural love these people had,” said Mike from California.

“We learned the true culture of this land is about sharing, about hospitality, knowledge, nature, plants, stars and the whole universe. What we saw in last seven days was like being transformed into another planet,” he added.

Women

Among the five women in the group were two accomplished hikers from Britain, Hina Webb and Rhian Adams, both personal fitness trainers who are using this ‘Camel Trek’ as a launch pad for more adventures.

“The organization has been absolutely amazing. Everybody has done a fantastic job. They’ve been hospitable kind and caring. I cannot thank them enough,” said Hina who is planning to climb Everest Base camp this summer.

“I’m a little bit sad that it is over and a little bit tired after enjoying the family feeling of everybody riding together. The feeling of riding through the desert and that kind of adventure was amazing. The desert is a beautiful terrain and the camel is a beautiful animal,” she added.

For Rhian it has been an incredible experience of learning about the Arabic culture, language and also seeing how the Arabs used to live in the past as well as how they live now.

“Seven long days in the desert and seven hours each day riding. Spending nights around camp fire sharing stories in the evening. It’s been an incredible experience. The welcome reception has been so lovely and it is nice to get down off a camel,” said Rhian whose ambition is to climb Mount Everest in 2019.

“What I like to remember is the people. I’ve made some fantastic friends on this trip. We still have banter and laugh despite the language barriers,” she added.

French

The two French women in the group, Charlotte Sarrazin and Anne-Laure Laine, were sad they had to go back to civilization after this life-changing experience.

“I feel always weird to come back to civilization because there is so much people and noise. The welcome reception was amazing. I didn’t expect this at all,” said Charlotte who treasures spending life in the desert as a group.

“As a European we come here without our family. I think slowly we forgot life in family living in this group together. This is an amazing group who share different moods and habits,” said Charlotte who has become an expert in managing camels.

“I learnt everything about camels. They are very smart animals who try to preserve their energy. They are very curious too,” she added pledging to return with her own camel ‘Talah’ next time.

Her friend Anne who was happy to go the distance this time also shares fond memories of the group of people she spent with.

“I feel so good. I’m sad it is finished actually. I remember what the guys taught us. I learnt to stay on camel whole day and about the culture, the way people were living before and what they eat,” she said.

Egyptian Lobna El Halawani, a personal fitness trainer in the UAE for the past three years, feels nothing is impossible after completing her maiden ‘Camel Trek’.

“It was a very nice feeling to join this trek. It was a lot of experience about camels, about riding on desert and how to know direction using stars. The experience of food. I’m so happy,” said Lobna, an endurance horse rider.

“You will find me soon in camel races,” she said in jest but will seriously continue training with camels summing up how much passion this ‘Camel Trek’ has generated.

DUBAI, 16th January 2017: A group of riders will embark on a journey in the desert of the UAE for the third edition of the ‘Camel Trek’ organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) from 21st to 27th January.

A total of 13 men and women have registered to for the week-long expedition which will depart from Nakhra area in Dubai on Saturday 21st January at 7am and return to Global Village after their one week journey.

They were selected after showing interest in going back in a journey through time after having registered through the website of HHC and qualified for the ‘Camel Trek’ following an intense training program.

Mohammed Ali Obaid Bin Huraiz, Manager of CEO’s Office at HHC, explained that training was mandatory because safety of the participants was important since they were expected to cover a distance of almost 40 kilometers a day.

“It requires a high level of fitness and prior training to join the trip. Participants have to get used to riding a camel, ways to deal with them and learn more about travelling on camel backs in a convoy as well as getting tips about the nature of life in the desert. For this purpose, we held training sessions for the riders in one of the farms with the help of experts in the field. The safety of the participants is paramount,” he explained.

The selected group of riders for the ‘Camel Trek’ have to undergo health checks to ensure they are fit to undertake this arduous journey.

“The aim of the ‘Camel Trek’ is to create a similar atmosphere to the one in the past when Bedouins used to navigate and travel in the desert. It is not only about sustaining an iconic symbol of the desert environment. The younger generation are encouraged to undertake this trek to experience riding a camel and be prompted to preserve it. This in turn increases self-confidence and team work in addition to learning how to navigate in the desert without using modern technology,” he added.

Mohammed Ali Obaid Bin Huraiz said HHC were proud to once again organize this ‘Camel Trek’ which will test the endurance of human capacity and spread awareness on how Emiratis navigated in the past using the ‘ship of the desert’.

“We welcome all the participants who took the initiative to register for a rare experience of life in the desert. HHC will provide the necessary support and the camels in order to facilitate the journey to all participants,” he added.

DUBAI, 1st December 2016: The National Day Camel Marathon in the UAE, organized by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) in cooperation with Dubai Camel Racing Club, will take place on Saturday 3rd December 2016 in Dubai International Endurance City, Saih Al Salam.

The Camel Marathon, organized as part of the Center’s extensive efforts to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of the UAE, is part of the ongoing 45th UAE National Day celebrations.

Open to UAE citizens above 18 years of age, the National Day Camel Marathon is set to begin early morning on Saturday.

Souad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, stated the Camel Marathon is a celebration of the 45th UAE National Day festivities.

She said: “Camel racing is one of the most enduring and centuries-old traditional sports in the UAE. Following the success of the inaugural event last year, we have renamed the race as the National Day Camel Marathon since it coincides with the UAE’s National Day celebrations.

“The National Day Camel Marathon is in line with the Center’s initiatives aimed at safeguarding our intangible cultural heritage and encouraging Emiratis to participate in traditional sports in an atmosphere that exudes a sense of national pride and community spirit. The National Day Camel Marathon occupies pride of place in Fazza Championships annual events calendar and serves as another platform for encouraging the younger generation to take up traditional Emirati sports and keep in touch with their heritage.

“This unique Marathon will also showcase the kindred spirit between man and animal. The National Day Camel Marathon will be conducted in a professional manner under the supervision of Dubai Camel Racing Club with no jockeys used during the challenging and energy sapping 25-kilometre distance. Most of these camels would have trained for nearly three months for this race. Only those who have grown up breeding camels will understand the potential of their charges. We wish the participants best of luck.”

The inaugural Camel Marathon saw the participation 72 UAE national contestants between the ages of 18 and 50.

Yahya Bin Ali Al Malaai emerged the winner of the inaugural Camel Marathon, with Sultan Bin Nawab Al Balooshi taking the second place and Salim Bin Obaid Al Hammadi finishing third.

500km excursion into the Arabian Desert aims to showcase Emirati culture and heritage to different nationalities

 Dubai, January 25 2016 – Would-be explorers on a 500km camel trek across the UAE desert have reached the halfway stage of their epic ‘In the Footsteps of our Ancestors’ expedition today (Tuesday).

The trip, which is being organised and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), is designed to showcase the more nomadic existence experienced by Emirati travellers in the olden days.

Its back-to-basics approach has meant 20 nationals from countries such as India, Malaysia and Oman – among others – have temporarily escaped the pressures of modern-day life in a completely tech-free environment.

Said Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Director of Event Management at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, commented: “This trip will give everybody on it a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience that will live long in their memories, but a great many of them will be only too keen to go exploring again in the years to come.”

 

He added: “The sheer number of applications we received on the official Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) website quite honestly exceeded our expectations, although we are fully aware of the passion that many people have for exploring the Arabian Desert and living life under clear blue skies.”

 

Mohammed Fansouri Bin Mohammed Faheemi, from Malaysia, is one of the game explorers currently on this 10-day adventure.

 

He said: “This is a very fruitful programme and I hope that, through it, I will gain further insight into Emirati culture and heritage. This camel ride will open people’s eyes and let them get to know even more about the Emirati people. This is the right exposure for the public. I’d never ridden a camel before and I soon discovered that you cannot simply ride a camel like you would a horse. It is a totally different experience. But, I received really good training by Mohammed (Bin Taryem, the renowned UAE explorer), who taught me all of the techniques and everything.”

Faheemi and his fellow participants set off on the first leg of their daily journey at around 7:30pm every morning. They will then stop at 12noon for roughly two hours prior to recommencing their own voyage towards their camp for the night at 5pm or so and sufficiently prior to sundown. They expect to traverse around 50kms daily.

 

DUBAI – Emiratis and expatriates alike are all set for an epic adventure as they prepare to step forth into the sandy desert terrain here on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery.

 

Foreigners and locals will embark on this once-in-a-lifetime Camel Trek expedition, which is being organised and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), alongside the renowned UAE explorers Ahmed Al Qassimi and Mohammed Bin Taryam on Friday (January 22^nd).

 

The 10-day trip will offer all of its hearty participants the chance to escape the humdrum of everyday life, with a back-to-basics approach allowing everybody involved the opportunity to bond with their camels while unearthing some deep-rooted, inner qualities amid the dunes and dust in a technology-free environment.’

 

Mohammed Bin Taryam, said: “The overall objective of this camel trek is to provide an unforgettable experience that also helps in the dissemination of our culture here in this country. There is a clear need for such an expedition as it takes participants back to the olden days, when our ancestors led a far more nomadic lifestyle and transported goods in an altogether different manner. At the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), we are striving to revive our heritage and history among the UAE community at large in order to come to the collective – and full – realization that it is of fundamental importance to our present day and our future. It really promises to be great fun for all of the adventure enthusiasts on this trip.”

 

Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Director of Event Management at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), commented: “We’re proud to organise such a trip, which spreads knowledge among different nationalities of the traditional aspects of life that were experienced by our ancestors, and pleased to welcome all who have decided to join us on this fun and interesting journey. We hope to pass on our ancestors’ experiences in transit to different nationalities and, through the challenges and difficulties they will invariably face on this expedition, it will cultivate qualities displayed by our ancestors such as: patience, wisdom and the power of concentration. We will do our utmost to prove all means of comfort to them and to provide them with all of the necessary facts and information to help pass on this experience to their families and friends in their native countries. A fun atmosphere prevailed at the end of the training period, which bodes well for a comfortable and successful trip for all participants.”

 

Ahmed Al Qassimi, said: “If a person feels fear while riding a camel, then that can be a clear cause for concern and create difficulties on this trip. Therefore, the training session – which was held before the start – aimed to remove that fear factor and establish a link between the reins and the rider, knowing full well that the participant has to care for and feed the camel to be able to consolidate that fledgling relationship and that will ultimately bear fruit over this 10-day trip.”

 

 

 

 

Al Qassimi added: “This is the second trip by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), having travelled the desired distance of 400kms without any accidents or injuries in 2015. I expect we’ll achieve a better result and be even more successful this year due – in many ways – to the expertise we have gained from that prior experience, including the selection of the very best camels and a longer training period for the participants.”

 

Indian Rasheenah Ahmed, who is a mum of two children, commented: “I make a mental note to read the newspapers most of the time and I never quite get round to it. Fortunately, for me – I opened up the paper on this particular day, read about this camel trek and I thought to myself:

‘Wow! This is something I’ve been waiting for all of my life.’ Everyone has been very supportive and told me: ‘If you want to do it, you should go for it!’”

 

Charlotte Sarrazin, of France, stated: “I’m a very sporty person and I wanted to try something new. I’m also going on this expedition because I’ve been in Dubai for three years now and I want to know more about the culture here. I’ve learnt so many things about the heritage and the history since I started this training programme and it is truly amazing.”

 

It is, expected that the participants will set off on the first leg of their daily journey at around 7:30am every morning. They will then stop at 12noon for roughly two hours prior to recommencing their onward voyage towards their camp for the night at 5pm or so and sufficiently prior to sundown. They expect to traverse around 50km every day and thus complete a 500km expedition.