Every year at the end of October, Abu Dhabi hosts a festival dedicated to Bedouin culture. Up to 40 thousand people come to the outskirts of the Rub al-Khali desert to see people and show themselves. Show in falconry, races on thoroughbred Arabian horses, races Saluk (the most ancient breed of greyhounds), participate in an exhibition of crafts. But the central and most exciting event of the festival is a beauty contest among camels. 
Million Beauty
Thousands of camels from all over the Arabian Peninsula are brought to the bride, there are no males. Do not look for sex discrimination here: just one-humped ladies are distinguished by a more meek disposition. Strict judges meticulously evaluate each part of the body and give points. Camel beauty standards are painted in every detail: curled eyelashes, a symmetrical hump, long ears, a plump lower lip and a graceful gait, like a true lady. The list of requirements for candidates is long.
At stake are serious cash prizes, cars and other valuable gifts. But these are all trifles: the cost of the winner of the competition skyrockets, for such a beauty in the camel market they ask (and receive) several million dirhams.
AFZAL KHAN MAHEEN, Shutterstock/ex/y9/exy9g8uon7s4gk8ow0wcko808.jpg forgeries
Passions at the festival boil serious. The owners of the ships of the desert are sometimes ready to do anything for the sake of victory: they lie about the age of the animals, intimidate competitors, and even give Botox injections to their wards in the lips, nose and cheeks. The fact is that a large head is considered a sign of the beauty of the animal. Those who do not have money for Botox simply pull the female's lip, regularly tying a weight to it.
The other extreme is plastic surgery: often camels correct the shape of their ears.
Silicone injections into the hump are also a harsh reality behind the scenes of camel beauty contests. Among the harmless tricks for beauty are hair sprays: they are applied to wool to make it shine.
Scammer, get out!
But the judges of the beauty contest in Abu Dhabi are determined decisively, and they are not so easily deceived. The most popular way to combat fraud is to chip animals, something like an electronic passport. They also carefully examine the teeth, they can determine the age of the female, and take blood for analysis to exclude the presence of hormones – they can be pricked to make the body muscular. And the owner of the camel is also offered to swear on the Koran that he does not deceive, and his animal is simply beautiful by nature – without any artificial tricks.
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