Pakistani camels’ beautiful performances and craftsmanship on their bodies have made them one of the main attractions at the largest ongoing camel festival in Saudi Arabia. The 40-day King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, started from December 1, is an event where a variety of camel breeds belonging to different communities mainly from Gulf countries, United States, France, Russia and Saudi Arabia are put on display. This year, Pakistani camels were unique in a sense that they offered a variety of attributes that amazed the tourists. The display of their dance performance provided entertainment to the visitors while beautiful motif crafted on their bodies also enchanted the onlookers. Reportedly, the visitors to the festival were introduced to the methods of riding camels in Pakistan and the breeds of camels reserved for children. It was also shown how camels were trained to dance in Pakistan and the different types of work they performed.
The camel breeding is a good source of income for a large number of families in Pakistan. Different breeds of camels are mainly found in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan where camel plays an important role in the agrarian economy. It’s role in performing various on and off farm operations (load carrying on back, pulling cart load, drawing water from the wells, drawing Persian well and oil extraction mills etc) have also made them an essential part of livestock farming. The government should patronize the camel breeding and hold such events in Pakistan as well while following the example set by the Saudi government. Such festivals provide a chance to different communities to demonstrate their culture. Culture is an invisible bond that connects people of different communities together. Such shows should be arranged on a regular basis as they not only express eloquently different cultures but also offer a platform for healthy competition, recreation and celebration, and represent a considerable defiance to the stresses of life.
