Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack

Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack lies in the municipality of Al Shahaniya, off the Dukhan Highway, about 45 kilometres west of Doha. It is the country's main venue for camel racing, a sport with deep roots in Bedouin life across the Arabian Peninsula.

Camel racing in Qatar was once ridden by child jockeys. In the early 2000s the practice was banned, and lightweight remote-controlled robot jockeys were introduced instead. The robots sit on the camels' backs and carry a small whip and a speaker, while owners drive alongside the track in four-wheel-drive vehicles, steering and calling to their animals by radio.

The track is a long sand oval with several loops of different lengths, a grandstand for spectators and stables and camel farms spread around it. Races take place mainly from October to March or April, usually in the early morning, and the biggest meetings carry valuable prizes and attract owners from across the Gulf. Outside race days, visitors can often see camels being trained on the track and in the surrounding desert. Camels also wander near the road, so drivers should take care.

The area is a good starting point for other desert sights to the west, such as the Al Shahaniya oryx reserve and the road to Dukhan.

There is usually no fee to watch from the grandstand. Race schedules are not always published in advance, so it is best to ask locally or join a tour.

The Sheikh Jassim camel festival

The track's best-known meeting is the annual camel festival named after Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, the founder of the state of Qatar. It brings owners and their racing camels from across the Gulf, and the largest meetings carry the season's biggest prizes. Smaller meetings fill the weekends through the cooler months.

Most racing camels are lean Arabian dromedaries bred for speed. Owners keep them in farms around the track, and on a morning drive along the service roads you will see strings of camels led out for exercise by handlers in the half-light.

The Arabian oryx sanctuary and other stops nearby

Al Shahaniya has two other stops that fit the same trip. In 1979 Qatar set aside about 12 square kilometres here as a sanctuary for the Arabian oryx, the country's national animal. The first animals came from Muaither Farm, and by 1988 about 100 lived in the reserve, part of which also holds red-necked ostriches. Access usually needs prior permission.

The Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum, opened in 1998, is in Al Samriya on the Dukhan Road. It is a short drive from the track and combines easily with a morning at the races.

Bring water and sun protection, as the grandstand offers little shade once the sun is up.