The King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival, a major cultural event in Saudi Arabia, will begin as scheduled on December 1 upon directives of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, an official has said.

The festival, held in the district of Southern Sayahdah south east of the capital Riyadh, draws over 1,800 participants annually including camel owners and fans from around the world.

“The Crown Prince directed that the fifth edition of the festival be held as scheduled on December 1 under the current circumstances in view of the importance of the camel festivals and his constant interest in supporting this sector,” chairman of the Camel Club Fahd Bin Falah Bin Hithlin said.

Saudi Arabia is still battling to control the coronavirus outbreak.

Bin Hithlin praised Prince Mohammed’s support for preserving the camel heritage that also helps promote the kingdom’s economic and tourism activities. “The festival in its past four editions attracted large numbers of camel owns and fans from around the globe,” Bin Hithlin said.

He added that details of contests featured by the festival will be announced soon.

Camels are a popular animal closely linked to heritage in the country.

The animal has long been dubbed as the “ship of the desert”, being the lifeline for desert dwellers.