Sahara festival opens with camel races, desert dog hunting

Participants from France, Italy, Japan and several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking part in the festivities.
The first day of the festival included Saharan folk dances and exhibits of desert medicinal plants as well as dates and handcraft.
The programme includes an international conference on cultural and nature tourism in the Sahara, a poetry contest and safaris.
The festival was created 98 years ago. At the time, it only featured camel races.