Pic(k) of the week 17: Walking the camels

April 21, 2014

Pic(k) of the week 17: Walking the camels

The Al Marmoom Camel Racing track on the Dubai-Al Ain road, is a great place to capture the ship of the desert with their trainers. As the yearly Camel Racing festival has just come to an end, the camel herding life is now back to normal.

With a total area of about 40 square kilometers (10 km x 4 km), the Al Marmoom farms and track is along the largest in the region.

Although camel racing has been around for more than 1000 years, it's popularity seems to be on the rebound! The sport has gone through some rough times and has now been modernised. In 2002, the UAE was the first country in the region to ban child jockeys (less than 15years). Since then, robots have replaced them, leading to a safer place for all involved!

One of my favourite places for shooting at sunset is an open spot between the camel farms and the track, facing one of the Mosques.