The World’s Most
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text_Matthew Teller photography_William Lyons
“Al-Kaida! Kaida! Kaida!” It’s a warm afternoon in the desert, just before sunset, and the man beside me is calling softly ahead, in a gentle, sing-song tone: “Al-Kaida! Kaida! Kaida!” As if in slow motion, the object of his attention stops, and, like a film star, looks over her shoulder and pouts. It’s an A-list moment. We are in the presence of greatness. She raises her hairy chin, gives her pert hump a shake and allows herself to be patted. In April, the desert city of Madinat Zayed hosted the Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival. More than 20,000 people attended, with around 10,000 camels put forward for competition. Although there were numerous categories – black camels, brown camels, two-year-olds, five-year-olds, and so on – one stood out. Owned by Rashad Ali Al-Mansoori, Al-Kaida – which roughly translates as “Unique” – scored a perfect 100%: the judges could not fault the beauty of her face, elegance of her neck, proportions of her body and length of her legs. I just had to see her for myself. Rashad Ali’s farm lies three hours south of Dubai, at AlLadeem village in the Liwa oasis, a long arc of fertility overlooked by the wind-sculpted sands of the Empty Quarter. As we arrive the man himself strides out to greet us – younger than I was expecting, with clear eyes and a charming smile. He shows us into his majlis, or meeting room, a large space lined with sofas, introduces his brothers and two young sons, pours sweet ginger tea and tells us the tale of Al-Kaida. Boss of a transport company, Rashad Ali, 35, owns around a hundred camels. He is always on the lookout for a champion: “I must have examined four or five thousand camels, and I’ve never seen one like Al-Kaida,” he says. “She’s unique.” He bought her in October, paying a hefty AED700,000. “My friends said I was crazy,” he recalls, with a twinkle in his eye. “But I knew what I was doing.” His investment soon saw a return. In the following few months, Al-Kaida won top honours at competitions in Qatar, Sweihan (near Abu Dhabi) and Ajman, before her success at Madinat Zayed. So how much is she worth now? Rashad Ali looks down, reluctant to boast. His friend Fathi is not so bashful. “Ten million dirhams,” he nods.
We linger until sunset, Al-Kaida loving the attention, her modest owner bursting with pride. As the late-afternoon sun loses itself in the sands, Rashad Ali tries to explain his feelings. “It’s about more than just being happy,” he muses. “This is a big deal.” Scratching her nose, he adds: “I’ll never find another like Al-Kaida.” |
In the UAE’s Empty Quarter, a beauty pageant-winning camel has made her owner proud 
We walk over to the nearby paddocks, nestled amidst a stunning landscape of rolling ochre dunes. As we enter, and a dozen camels lope over to greet him, Rashad Ali grins, patting one, chucking another under the chin. Then we catch sight of the champ, dressed in her winning silks. There is no doubting it: even to an untrained eye, Al-Kaida is strikingly beautiful, with wide eyes, an elegant jawline and lusciously long legs.