Prince Misha'al bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of Allegiance-Pledge Commission and Chairman of Supreme Steering Committee of King Abdulaziz Award Festival for Pageant Camels affirmed that the festival was aimed at preserving the heritage of the grand fathers. He also reiterated that the Festival was primarily directed at taking care of camels due to their special status in the Arabian Peninsula since the dawn of Islam and their recognized status by the founder of the Kingdom - the late King Abdulaziz. In a statement to Okaz newspaper published today, Prince Misha'al affirmed that the encouragement and support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince have enabled the continuation of this competition and the preservation of its successes which have been reflected in the large turn out of participation of camels estimated at more than 19,000 heads from all categories in Umm Ruqaibah this year. The Prince welcomed any constructive criticism or opinion that could contribute to upgrading the festival which was named after the founder late King Abdulaziz. Prince Misha'al expressed his thanks to and appreciation of Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Interior; Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Interior; Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of the Eastern Region and Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs for the efforts exerted by various governmental sectors, especially the security services which have helped in streamlining the entry and movement of participants in the festival this year or in the past years. He noted that many programs and ideas have been discussed with the General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities to take advantage of the festival and invest it in tourism, commending in this regard the interest of the Commission's Secretary General Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in activating and benefiting from the festival as it is an annual public, popular and heritage event.
