Saudi Arabia has for generations
been one of the hardest countries on earth to visit
Now, an increasing number of foreign visitors including press
are being allowed into the country.
That's why we were invited to the 2018 King Abdulaziz Camel Festival
outside the capital, Riyadh.
Camels, hold a very special place in Saudi Arabia's heart.
They have been used for centuries as transportation, food,
even as currency.
This annual, month-long celebration of everything camel
is a chance to see and be seen for the country's elite.
I'm at a camel festival, which is celebrating all things past
and I'm walking on a red carpet
because this event has some very special guests.
The King's here and I think that portrays a lot about how
Saudi Arabia's feeling about its identity.
This is a time of massive flux.
Saudi Arabia is going to adapt from the closed
conservative place it's known as.
Its plan is to do that by 2030
and people can be nervous about change.
And so, how better to deal with that then to remind yourself of your roots,
your regional identity and celebrate the camel.
For many, the biggest draw at the festival is the racing.
Over the course of a month, 8,000 camels will race
for millions of dollars in prizes.
The sun has just risen on the desert this morning.
So the temperature is pretty unforgiving, but we're down here
super early because this is when all the camel racing kicks off.
Arabian camel racing has been around since the seventh century,
but has grown in popularity in recent years due to the huge prizes on offer.
Earning the sport comparisons to horse racing.
World leaders and dignitaries enter their prized beasts.
But, unlike horse racing, which maxes out at 2.4 kilometers,
camel racing plays out on an epic eight kilometer track
in the middle of the desert.
There's also another major difference between the two.
These camels are jockeyed by robots.
Rather than a cumbersome human in the saddle
making things slower and more dangerous.
The robots contain a loud speaker, which allows the owner
to shout commands to the camel via walkie-talkie
as they drive alongside.
There's even a remote-controlled riding prop
strategically deployed to spur them along to victory.
Mohammed is one of the race organizers.
Is there like a standard design or can people kind of tamper with them
and suit them up?
And with millions of dollars at stake,
referees must check for signs of foul play.
So when the race is done you take the jockey and you test it.
Yes.
So what are you testing for?
So people have tried to electrocute the camel to get it to go faster.
Yes.
Wow.
So what's within here? It's like a rotary.
That's amazing.
It's literally a drill that they've adapted.
And so the bit that spins on the drill is what turns the whip.
Yes.
It was finally time for us
to experience camel racing for ourselves.
That's the start line.
And there off.
This involved inserting myself into a scrum of 4X4's.
None of the drivers had their eyes on the road.
They were too busy concentrating on the performance of their camels
and the robots jockeying them.
Oh my God, that's really stressful.
As the race continued, the mayhem deepened.
We were jostling bumper to bumper for a better vantage point.
As dust billowed and commentary blared.
Meanwhile, hundreds of spectators anxiously waited for the winner
to cross the finish line.
For others at the festival, the fastest camels
aren't nearly as important as the most beautiful.
So this part of the camel beauty contest
is about beauty en masse.
We've got herds of a 100 camels and the judges are looking to judge
the sort of collective attractiveness of each herd.
I can't tell how beautiful these are, they look alright to me.
And you even got some baby ones, some supermodels in training.
To get a better understanding
of what exactly makes a beautiful camel,
we met with one of the judges.
This year, the beauty contest was rocked by scandal
and that scandal came in the form of Botox.
Days prior to the competition,
a dozen camels were disqualified after it was found they'd received
Botox injections in their lips, noses and jaws.
Since the most beautiful camels are worth millions,
the stakes are high.
In light of this cheating,
the festival has stepped up screening for all camels involved.
So they're looking for signs of cheating, like cosmetic enhancement
to the camels.
The camels are a bit stressed,
so they're trying to get them to calm down
so they can check their lips.
How can you tell by eye, just by looking
if there's something slightly off?
If we have any doubt, any doubt,
we will catch it separately
and we will feel it down. We will check.
This inspection involves feeding the camels snacks
to see how naturally their lips move.
How many camels do you have to check during the festival?
-Today, 1,300. -Total.
Wow! You have to check them, that many today?
-Yes, we checked one by one. -Wow.
So this man, hiding in these legs is Naif,
and he's tipped to win.
Naif, the winner of last year's contest,
has walked his herd of 100 camels
cross-country for 15 days to get to the event.
We have the most beautiful camels in the Gulf area.
Of all the 100 camels, do you have one favorite?
Yeah, I have, maybe two.
Come. This is one, very nice.
Hi.
-That's a beautiful camel. -Yes, this one.
-And this one also. -Oh, hello.
This one's very nice.
So how much does a camel like this one cost?
One million riyals, it's around a half-a-million.
Ferrari and Porsche together.
-That's amazing. -Some of them more.
This one is Bugatti.
They've just decided that I should ride.
I don't think the camel's that thrilled about it.
This is wild.
Bye!
-You are the guide now. -I'm the guide now.
How much of your life do you spend doing traditional pursuits?
Only on the weekends and the holidays.
Not everyday.
So, the rest of the time you work in investment banking?
Yeah, different life, different sector, different--
Long, long time, around 50 years ago, 60 years ago.
Everything has changed here.
Before our life, our grandfather's life.
Here in Saudi Arabia it's different,
one hundred percent different than now.
Do you ever worry about traditions being lost
with the way the country is changing?
It's not lost, but it will be not like before.
It will change, but it will not lost.
But we don't want to lose our camels because they're too expensive for us.
And your life might change if you get a phone call soon?
We are waiting for the-- who will be the winner today.
From today's competition?
From today's competition.
If we win, we will stay until the King will come.
Really?
Yes.
And then you would meet him?
Of course, the first winner will meet the King.
That's amazing.
Oh yeah, and I meet Prince Mohammad Bin Salman also.
Are you excited of the idea of meeting MBS?
Of course, he is our new King.
He's our guy now.
We are excited with him and we are moving with him.
We are changing with him, for the better.
It was almost time for Naif to find out if he'd won.
So, Naif's been waiting for seven o'clock for the call
to tell him whether or not his camels have won the beauty contest.
And it's now past seven o'clock,
and there's been no call.
But he can also see if it's been announced on Twitter
so he keeps trying to refresh Twitter.
But, since we're in the desert
Twitter's not really behaving too well.
So it's very tense in here.
Why today they are late?
Why they are delaying.
It's eight o'clock everyone.
When I'm nervous I can't eat.
You are nervous now?
No, but I thought maybe you would be nervous
because you're waiting for the call.
-Oh, don't tell me. -Sorry!
You okay?
I'm not okay.
-It's come, it's come. -It's come!
Did you win? Second? Well done!
I thought that we are the first.
Well done!
Thank you very much.
-We came second? -We came second.
Your happy?
Your a bit disappointed?
Yeah, of course. We are not happy.
You're not going to meet the main guy.
This is a bad thing.
So these are the winning 100 camels in the category
that would have beat Naif's camels
and they're currently now parading for the King and MBS.
And also regional dignitaries, leaders of neighboring countries.
As I watch the highly choreographed closing ceremony,
it was clear that in modern Saudi Arabia
camels remain important.
They may not be a main source of transport or food,
but to Saudi's elite, like Naif and the country's leadership
They're a source of national pride and even regional solidarity.