• A bullfight gets under way in Fujairah. All photos: AFP
    A bullfight gets under way in Fujairah. All photos: AFP
  • While camel beauty contests and races are popular in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in Fujairah 'it is the bullfights'.
    While camel beauty contests and races are popular in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in Fujairah 'it is the bullfights'.
  • Unlike the bullfights popular in Spain and Mexico, where the animals are typically slain by matadors, in Fujairah two beasts go head-to-head with far less fatal consequences.
    Unlike the bullfights popular in Spain and Mexico, where the animals are typically slain by matadors, in Fujairah two beasts go head-to-head with far less fatal consequences.
  • Bulls lock horns during a traditional bullfight in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah, on February 5, 2022. - Far from Dubai's gleaming skyscrapers and renowned camel races, a bullfight is underway in the emirate of Fujairah, where the tradition continues unbeknown to most in the United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
    Bulls lock horns during a traditional bullfight in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah, on February 5, 2022. - Far from Dubai's gleaming skyscrapers and renowned camel races, a bullfight is underway in the emirate of Fujairah, where the tradition continues unbeknown to most in the United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
  • The bulls were once imported from South Asia for agricultural work, but the emergence of new technologies has rendered them obsolete to farming.
    The bulls were once imported from South Asia for agricultural work, but the emergence of new technologies has rendered them obsolete to farming.
  • An Emirati man speaks on his phone next to a bull with partially orange-dyed hair.
    An Emirati man speaks on his phone next to a bull with partially orange-dyed hair.
  • Bulls attack at the start of a traditional fight.
    Bulls attack at the start of a traditional fight.
  • Bulls lock horns.
    Bulls lock horns.
  • Children watch a tradition bullfight in Fujairah.
    Children watch a tradition bullfight in Fujairah.

Gulf

Bullfighting tradition lives on in Fujairah - in pictures

The competition typically ends after about an hour, with each fight lasting just one or two minutes

The National

February 19, 2022

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Updated: February 19, 2022, 12:37 PM
PhotographyFujairah