Sahara festival opens with camel races, desert dog hunting
Hhdod
DOUZ, Tunisia (AFP) - The 41st International Sahara Festival opened here Thursday with camel races, desert dog hunting and Saharan music launching four days of cultural events with participants from around the world.
More than 75,000 people attended the opening ceremony led by Tunisian Tourism Minister Khelil Lajimi in the southern city of Douz, a desert oasis at the edge of the Sahara.
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.