A camel rally, with 100 contestants has been organized in the Maranjab desert of Isfahan Province. The event has been conceived as part of the upcoming Nowruz celebrations starting March 21, 2015.
“The rally will take place at a camp near the Maranjab desert,” said the organizer and owner of a caravanserai in the nearby village of Taghiabad, ISNA reported.
To date official (internationally recognized) sporting federations have excluded this esteemed sport in their event repertoire, “but we have managed to get recognition by a desert exploration federation, which has also helped to organize the event.”
The rally will see 100 riders race the 20 kilometer distance between the area referred to as ‘Khatab Shekan’ to the finishing line at the Maranjab caravanserai. Khatab Shekan originally called Hatab Shekan refers to a camel’s saddle and this region is so called due to its incredibly arduous terrain – meaning that the route is grueling as to be ‘backbreaking’ for the camel.
The camels are local to the area, said the event organizer, adding “there are many camels indigenous to Taghiabad, the camels will be selected from here.”
