A female calf camel sold for an eye-watering Dh500,000 at the Abu Dhabi camel auction. The calf was bred from a ‘Shamekh’ father and a ‘Samha Al Saghira’ mother. The final bid came after a fierce contest between Mohammed Al Menhali and young poet Mubarak bin Bkheit Al Shamsi.
Al Menhali dominated the auction, placing high bids in earlier rounds, including Dh140,000 and Dh90,000. Al Shamsi surprised everyone by jumping his bid from Dh40,000 straight to Dh100,000. The bidding escalated quickly until Al Menhali secured the prized camel at Dh500,000. “I would have continued bidding as long as it went,” Al Menhali said, praising the camel’s breed.
The biggest winner of the night, however, was 14-year-old Hamdan Al Kaabi. He walked away with four camels, winning several auctions after Al Menhali took the first. Hamdan, a ninth grader, arrived early with his uncle and brothers. His family owns about 85 camels and has been raising and racing camels since 2016.
Hamdan’s uncle, Hamad, explained that they look for top breeds like Al Munther, Majd, and Al Gharbi, known for speed and posture. “We train the camels and enter them in races. If needed, we sell the strong ones,” Hamad said. He added that camel milk is only given away and never sold.
One of Hamdan’s most memorable moments was buying a Zaafarana bakra, keeping it as a pet for three years before training it to win its first race. The camel was later sold for Dh2 million. At the Abu Dhabi camel auction, Hamdan showed calm confidence while winning multiple bids.
This Abu Dhabi camel auction highlighted the UAE’s passion for camels and the value of top breeds.
