Culture

Meet the Camel-Racing Robot Jockeys in Dubai

By Suzanne ShaheenPhotography by Clint McLean
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    A camel handler after a race at the Al Marmoum track

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    A camel handler from the Sudan retrieves his camel after it crosses the finish line.

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    Television crews, owners, and VIPs drive beside the camels as they begin the race. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prince of Dubai, is driven in the black Mercedes.

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    Photographed by Clint McLean
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    The robotic jockeys have a drill motor, and are directed by remote control.

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    A billboard of the sheikh at the Al Marmoum race track

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    A camel handler with two mechanical jockeys

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    Young men lounge on the grass in the heat of the afternoon while waiting for the afternoon races to begin.

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    A handler waits to escort his camels to the starting gate

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    A camel handler poses for a portrait with one of their mechanical jockeys.

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    A sign near the camel track warns of camels and road humps.

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    Photographed by Clint McLean
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    A camel handler sits with a mechanical jockey.

TopicsPhotography