Camel racing in the UAE
Camel racing is an age-old tradition in the UAE and other countries in the Middle East, tracing its origins back all the way to the Middle Ages. We really wanted to experience a camel race in Abu Dhabi, and tried to find more information. This was not that easy, the website seemed to be down most of the time, and no-one we asked had any information about the race times for the Al Wathba race track.
So we decided to drive there on a cool January weekend and find out. We asked around and found somebody who knew there would be races on the next morning at 7. As we were in the area, we cycled the Al Wathba cycle track, drove up Birdcage mountain (which turned out to be a random man-made hill with a lookout at the top) and camped in the surrounding dessert.
camels and their trainers out for a training ride the day before the races
our camp in the desert near the Al Wathba track
The next morning we arrived at the race track bright and early, and after sharing a cup of karak tea with the police officer on duty, we parked our car a little out of the way and walked into the racing track. The track is quite different from your standard horse-racing track. To our right was the starting mechanism with several ‘parking’ lots for the camels leading to it. The animals used for racing are not actually camels (two humps), but dromedaries (one hump), but for some reason they are always called camels….
there are lots of camels and their minders everywhere
From the starting mechanism, the camels race straight for a while, before a long sweeping curve would lead them to the finishing straight, located to the left of us as we arrived. This has another ‘parking’ lot leading off it, where the animals are collected and lead out the back door. The entire track is fenced off similar to horse-racing tracks, but as there are no humans riding the animals, they need to ensure the animals can’t stray out of the intended route.
camels at the start of the race on the first straight
The track can also be extended for longer races, they would simply continue straight out the gates a bit longer before starting the big sweep back to the finish line. The start and finish area are not connected though, a road goes in between them, unlike a horse racing track which is a continuous oval. The other difference from horse racing tracks is the length of the races. Camels usually race between 6-10km, often even longer, whilst horses usually race for 1-2km. They race comfortably around 40km an hour, but on the finishing straight they reach speeds of up to 65km per hour. Quite incredible.
Jude watching at the finish line
the camels approaching the finish line
The last big difference is that in camel races, humans are no longer the jockeys. Instead they use miniature robotic jockeys. And although it is a weird sight at first, it makes total sense as in the old days a lot of child jockeys were used, often leading to child trafficking and abuse.
We were taking this all in, and wandering around the start-finish area, when the camera crew car pulled up beside us and invited us inside so we could follow the action from a prime viewing point. We didn’t hesitate and jumped in. The driver from Pakistan didn’t speak much English, but enough to explain a few things, and we enjoyed several races watching from the best spot on the track.
our friendly driver from Pakistan, if the guy filming wanted him to go faster he would bang on the roof
Jon taking photos and video from the driving media vehicle
racing camels with their owners in the cars on the outside track where they can follow their camel
We also stood right next to the finish line for a few races, and were then invited to join the guys at the starting gate. Jon walked out to just in front of the gates to take pictures, and I took a video from within the gate, standing pretty much right next to the camels as they were led to the gate one-by-one. It was a great experience to see it all up and close, and we were treated like VIPs by all the guys there. We didn’t see a single other female, nor a single other spectator. Everyone around us was working in the camel racing industry. And yet, we really enjoyed the races, the friendly atmosphere, and the novelty of it for us.
Jon in front of the starting gate taking pictures of the camels as they exit the starting gate
Despite the relaxed vibe, there is apparently huge prize money to be won at the camel races and people take it very seriously with huge stables dotted in the landscape around the race track, and a lot of time and money invested in training the camels. It really is its own thriving industry in the UAE. We had a very pleasant morning, and after exploring some more cycling tracks we went home. It had been another very pleasant weekend in Abu Dhabi.