RIYADH: Diplomats from around the world have been delving into Saudi culture at a major international camel festival. The six-week King Abdulaziz Camel Festival has seen a steady stream of ambassadors to the Kingdom visiting the event being held 130 kilometers north of Riyadh. Eng. Bandar Al-Qahtani, the executive director of the Camel Club (Right) presents a souvenir (miniature model of Hawdaj) to Iwai Fumio, Japanese Ambassador to the Saudi Arabia. (Camel Club) The annual camel carnival, which got underway on Dec. 1, attracts thousands of visitors from around the globe. Among the envoys attending the gathering was Belgian ambassador-designate, Pascal Hubert Gregoire, and his wife, who took part in a folk dance. Anibal Gomez Toledo, the Mexican Ambassador to the Saudi Arabia, who interacted a lot with his hosts at the festival and dress in the Bisht, while his wife, followed with great glee a part of the camel competitions, wearing the burqa. (Camel Club) Gregoire said: “I did not expect to find such a beautiful and highly organized heritage place in the desert.” Darm Boontham, Thailand’s representative in Riyadh, said: “The organization and development I witnessed reflects the great interest of the Kingdom’s government in this ancient cultural heritage that represents the Arabian Peninsula … of which camels are one of the aspects.” Mohammad Javed Patwary, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Saudi Arabia (in the middle) looks at a model of Hawdaj (often covered with fabrics), which is designed to carry women during travel by camels. (Camel Club) Another dignitary in attendance with his wife was the Mexican ambassador, Anibal Gomez Toledo. He said: “This is my first visit to this place, and I am very surprised by this interest. I know a lot about camels, but I have only seen them in this area.” Darm Boontham, Thailands ambassador to the Saudi Arabia, and his wife listen to Hamad Al-Qahtani, the translator, at the Camel Club as they watch camel competitions between camels. (Camel Club) Bangladeshi envoy, Mohammad Javed Patwary, met camel owners and watched as they led their animals in different competition categories. Japan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iwai Fumio, said: “I was impressed by what I saw during my visit to the festival, which is the second after my first visit last year. I was impressed by the great development in this edition, as well as the diversity of the exhibits and the participating parties. Giuliano Fragnito, Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in Saudi Arabia and his wife watching a picture of camels walking across the water near to the coast, among dozens of pictures related to camels, during his visit to the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival last week. (Camel Club) “The presence of the camels in Saudi society in particular, and Arab society in general, is very important, as it reflects the culture of the region. “What the Kingdom’s government is doing through this festival preserves this culture and establishes it among the people,” he added. Giuliano Fragnito, deputy head of mission at the Italian Embassy, said: “I used to hear a lot about camels in Arab culture, but what I saw today is something very big, a huge festival that mixed heritage and modernity, where technical developments and the use of technology confirm the great progress and development that the Kingdom is witnessing in various sectors.” Badr Z. Alenazi, a Saudi writer specializing in public relations. (Supplied) Badr Z. Alenazi, a writer for Saudi newspaper Okaz, said that visit of envoys to the festival was part of the process of cultural diplomacy. The festival, organized by the Saudi Camel Club, will this year see thousands of camels taking part in competitions offering prizes worth SR100 million ($26 million).