DOHA // In the Qatari desert, Musharif spends his afternoons “swimming” in a large pool that doubles as a jacuzzi, just one of the perks of being a racing camel.
“It’s for his muscles, it’s good for the speed,” shouts one of Musharif’s handlers pointing at the water as the calm three-year-old animal is led by a rope along the length of the pool at Tharb camel hospital.
The pool stands next to the hospital, in what looks like a huge agricultural shed with slipways in and out of the water.
The hospital is the only such facility in Qatar.
Situated almost as far west as it is possible to go in Qatar, the hospital is around an hour’s drive and a world away from the capital, Doha.
It is found long after the city’s skyscrapers have vanished from sight and Doha’s sprawling suburbs give way to desert, and only then with some good map-reading skills.
The only clue to its existence are the increasing number of pens filled with resting camels dotted along the dusty highway close to the hospital.
But there is a reason for its remoteness – it is not only a hospital, but also a breeding centre for camels through embryo transfer and artificial insemination and it needs to be isolated to protect its valuable “crops”.
“You want a centre like this to be far enough yet accessible to the potential users,” said Ahmed Tibary, a professor of veterinary medicine and a consultant at Tharb.
“Far enough because [of] the intent of breeding and producing by embryo transfer, you have to have a little bit of isolation.
“Because eventually this is an institution that will house the top-level camels, so if you are developing embryo transfers you want the top racing camels or the top genetics isolated so it’s protected.”
In a region where camel racing is big business, Tharb’s work is increasingly important, and the first camels bred at the centre are already racing in Qatar.
Mr Tibary admitted that research into breeding camels had “lagged behind” similar work with other animals, but no longer.
“I think it’s the future just like we have seen in other species,” he said.
Artificial breeding means owners of camels being sent to stud can command increasingly high prices.
The current big star in the sport is a six-year-old known as Al-Jazeera, who would be “priceless” at stud, say camel owners gathered at the hub for camel racing in Qatar – the Al-Shahaniya track.
“He has more fans than [football’s] Messi,” jokes another.
Professional camel racing started in 1972 in Qatar and the season usually runs from September through to March.
More than 5,000 locals attend and there are some 22,000 camels raced in Qatar and more than 55,000 across the Gulf.
Camels usually start racing around the age of two and generally go into stud at around six years old.
Races are usually held over a distance of four kilometres, though for older animals that can reach a maximum of eight kilometres.
The races themselves are exuberant occasions and not for the faint-hearted.
Qataris, usually in Land Cruisers, thunder alongside the sand track just a few metre or two away from their camels, honking horns and shouting for their animals to run faster.
Mixed in with the owners’ vehicles are fans driving along to get close to the action.
It’s noisy, frenetic and crashes are common.
Sitting on top of the camels are tiny robot jockeys, which can be remotely-controlled to whip the racers.
In Qatar, there are three big races each season, with valuable prizes such as $200,000 Mercedes Maybach cars.
“If you win this competition ... then you will be very famous, your camel will be very famous,” said Qatari camel owner Salem Al Marri.
Eighty per cent of the camels he races are from breeding, Mr Al Marri said: “I’m not lucky in buying, I’m lucky in breeding.”
Like many sports though big rewards have brought problems, in this case doping fears in recent years.
Now, all camels are registered online through an iTunes app, chipped and receive a blood test four days before every race.
Mr Al Marri says it’s not just the big prizes which make the sport popular but also how it connects Qataris with their traditions.
“Camel racing, the camel in general, is very important to the country, especially for the culture,” he said.
* Agence France-Presse
Company%20profile
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Honeymoonish
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Fixtures
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
The view from The National
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Kandahar%20
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
