The first edition of a camel race in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla is offering a prize pool of more than $21 million, one of the largest prizes for such an event.

The inaugural AlUla Camel Cup will be held in the historic town from March 14 to 17.

“The AlUla Camel Cup will celebrate the most noble of Saudi Arabian sporting traditions, welcoming royalty VIPs, the elite of sport, and many distinguished guests to the most glorious of settings for this illustrious occasion,” Amr al-Madani, CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla said in a statement.

AlUla has deep-rooted connections to the historical significance of camels, having been an ancient hub for the incense trade.

“Saudi Arabia has championed camel racing the world over, with historical records indicating the sport played a part in our ancient culture as far back as the 7th Century,” explained Mahmoud Suleiman al-Balawi, Executive Director of the Saudi Camel Racing Federation.

“The professional nature of camel racing has a similarly distinguished past, with the first professional camel race held in Saudi Arabia dating back to 1964 as part of a heritage festival.”

AlUla Camel Cup is one of the flagship events of AlUla Moments 2023, which includes five major festivals and six marquee events.

Other sports events taking place in AlUla are The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup in AlUla 2023 (March 4), AlUla Trail Race (February 23 and 24), and the “Saudi Tour” (January 30 – February 3), Al Arabiya reports.