At a UAE camel race, watch the vehicles as well as the animals. Owners and trainers follow alongside the course in four-wheel drives, operating small robot jockeys remotely and calling encouragement through loudspeakers. The camels compete on the track; much of the human activity takes place beside it. For a first visit, two established venues are Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi and Al Marmoom in Dubai, but confirm a race meeting before travelling.
A living tradition, not a historical re-enactment
سباق الهجن (sibaq al-hijin) means racing of riding or racing camels. The sport grew from Bedouin communities’ close relationship with camels, with informal races accompanying weddings and celebrations. Purpose-built tracks and organised programmes have expanded its scale, but breeding knowledge, training and pride in an animal’s performance remain central.
In 2020, UNESCO inscribed “Camel racing, a social practice and a festive heritage associated with camels” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, following a joint nomination by the UAE and Oman. This recognises a living practice and its associated knowledge, not a World Heritage designation for a particular racetrack.
UNESCO’s account includes selecting camels, feeding and training them, verifying their origins and passing skills between generations. It also identifies connections with poetry and singing. Readers interested in that relationship can explore Nabati poetry; racing also sits within the wider world of Emirati heritage sports.
How a race meeting works
A meeting comprises separate races, rather than one contest involving every camel present. The programme distinguishes animals by age and sex, and may separate breeding categories and ownership groups. Read the heading for each race before comparing results: two winners may have competed over different distances or under different entry conditions.
Race distance is linked to the camel’s age, but no single national distance applies to every animal in that class. The particular meeting’s programme matters. Dubai Camel Racing Club’s reporting, for example, records separate local-bred and crossbred races within the same age category.
Behind the start is sustained preparation. Camels practise in groups, receive carefully managed diets and learn through repeated training. A race tests that work as well as speed. For spectators, a useful starting point is to pick one camel and follow it through the field, rather than trying to track every competitor at once.
Breeds, bloodlines and age classes
What breeding labels mean
Racing camels are one-humped dromedaries. Heritage accounts commonly distinguish المحليات (al-mahalliyat), local-bred camels; السودانيات (al-sudaniyat), Sudanese camels; and المهجنات (al-muhajjanat), crossbred camels. These broad labels help explain breeding backgrounds, but are not a complete list of modern bloodlines or race-entry categories.
On a programme, local-bred and crossbred divisions are particularly useful to recognise. Pedigree and eligibility are matters for the organisers, not something a visitor can reliably establish from coat colour or appearance.
Reading the age categories
Traditional names describe successive stages of a camel’s development. English spellings vary, so the Arabic can help when comparing programmes. This is an orientation to the terminology, not a substitute for an event’s registration rules.
| Category | Approximate age or stage |
|---|---|
| المفاريد — mafarid | Young camels between one and two years |
| الحقايق — haqayiq | Two to three years |
| اللقايا — laqaya | Three to four years |
| الإيذاع — idha‘ | Four to five years |
| الثنايا — thanaya | Five to six years |
| الحول — houl; الزمول — zamoul | Mature females and males respectively, generally beyond six years |
Sex divisions are separate from age divisions. Two further programme terms are بكار (bakkar), female camels, and جعدان (ja‘dan), male camels. Learning this distinction makes a race card much easier to follow: the age label alone does not tell you everything about the field.
Robot jockeys—and the children they replaced
The small device secured to a racing camel’s back is a remotely operated jockey, not an autonomous rider making tactical decisions. Designs vary, but typically include a motorised whip mechanism. Trainers operate the equipment from accompanying vehicles; loudspeakers carry their voices to the camels.
This technology must be understood alongside the child-protection reforms that accompanied its adoption. Children had been used as jockeys because of their low weight. Some were trafficked from countries in South Asia and Africa, and the work exposed them to exploitation, serious injury and death.
The UAE adopted Federal Law No. 15 of 2005 prohibiting the participation of people under 18 in camel racing. In the same year, cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and UNICEF supported the return and rehabilitation of former child jockeys. Robot jockeys offered a practical replacement that removed the need to put children on racing camels.
That history matters more than presenting the robots simply as an unusual gadget. Equally, their use does not by itself answer every question about animal welfare: breeding, handling, training and veterinary care remain distinct responsibilities.
Where to watch
Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi
Al Wathba Camel Race Track is an established option for visitors staying in Abu Dhabi. Experience Abu Dhabi places it about 45 kilometres east of the city, towards Al Ain, and lists admission to the races as free. Check arrangements for your chosen meeting rather than assuming that this covers every organised package or associated event.
Use the official Experience Abu Dhabi camel-racing page as a starting point, then confirm the fixture and spectator entrance. Be precise with your destination: the camel racetrack is not the cycle track or the Sheikh Zayed Festival grounds. Do not assume their programmes coincide.
Al Marmoom, Dubai
Al Marmoom Camel Race Track, also described by Visit Dubai as Dubai Camel Race Track, lies by Al Lisaili and Al Marmoom Heritage Village, off the Dubai–Al Ain corridor. Visit Dubai identifies grandstand viewing and recommends binoculars, useful when the field spreads out.
Check Dubai Camel Racing Club for the programme and contact the club about visitor access. Ask which entrance and viewing area are in use, not simply whether the track is open. A working racetrack and a public race meeting are different things.
Al Maqam, near Al Ain
Experience Abu Dhabi also identifies Al Maqam Track near Al Ain as a place to watch. Confirm the exact venue named on the fixture before setting out. For a longer visit, consider a separate stop among Al Ain’s oases and UNESCO sites, leaving enough flexibility for the racing timetable.
Seasons and finding a confirmed fixture
The cooler months, broadly autumn to spring, are the most useful starting point for planning. October to April is often given as a general racing-season guide, but it does not guarantee racing on any particular day or rule out all activity outside that period.
Early starts are common. Some meetings have more than one session, so do not treat a generic morning time as a confirmed start. Festival dates and programmes vary each year: consult the organising club’s announcement for that edition rather than recycling last season’s calendar.
Also distinguish racing from مزاينة (mazayna), camel beauty competitions, in which animals are judged rather than raced against the clock. The Al Dhafra Festival introduces that wider camel culture, but a beauty-contest listing does not confirm a race.
Practical tips for your first visit
- Confirm before travelling. Ask for the date, first race time, exact track, public entrance and admission arrangements. Recheck shortly before departure.
- Arrange the return journey. If using a taxi or driver, agree collection details rather than relying on finding transport at the gate.
- Prepare for an outdoor morning. Bring water, sun protection, comfortable closed shoes and a light layer for an early start. Binoculars help more than a phone’s digital zoom.
- Check facilities you need. Ask about toilets, shade, seating and step-free access, especially when visiting with children or anyone with limited mobility.
- Keep clear of working areas. Stay behind barriers and follow staff directions. Do not enter the course, preparation areas or lanes used by accompanying vehicles.
- Ask before approaching or photographing. Seek permission before photographing people closely or touching a camel. Do not feed animals or interrupt handlers preparing for a race.
- Allow time to understand the programme. Confirm the age category and distance, then watch several races if conditions are comfortable. The differences become easier to recognise once you know what each field represents.