A horse and a few spectators on a hillock overlooking the racetrack
Men try to control a rearing horse after a weekly horse-racing competition at a field near the Bedouin village of Abu Tlal in southern Israeli near Beersheva on March 4, 2022. - The stretch of dirt next to a highway that weaves through southern Israel's Negev desert does not immediately appear like a suitable place to host weekly horse racing. But the Bedouins who gather there at sunrise most Fridays told AFP it suits them just fine, and that they have been meeting at the venue for several years to enjoy a hobby they describe as a central part of their culture. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP)
The stretch of dirt alongside a motorway in the Negev desert is an unlikely setting for a weekly race meeting
Racegoers celebrate with the winning jockey
The Bedouins who gather at the site at sunrise most Fridays say the location suits them just fine
They have been meeting at the venue for several years to enjoy a hobby they describe as a central part of their culture
There's no grandstand or fence and spectators simply line up behind plastic tubing tied to posts
A jockey celebrates a race victory
People of all ages congregate, from a range of communities, coming together over a shared love of horse racing
As with other Arab countries and populations, horse racing has been an important part of Bedouin heritage for centuries
The more than 260,000 Bedouins in Israel are part of an Arab minority who make up about a fifth of the population
A man leads a horse before the race
Spectators watch from behind makeshift rails
Racing in the desert is thirsty work for the horses
A jockey celebrates as he crosses the finish line
A horse and a few spectators on a hillock overlooking the racetrack
Men try to control a rearing horse after a weekly horse-racing competition at a field near the Bedouin village of Abu Tlal in southern Israeli near Beersheva on March 4, 2022. - The stretch of dirt next to a highway that weaves through southern Israel's Negev desert does not immediately appear like a suitable place to host weekly horse racing. But the Bedouins who gather there at sunrise most Fridays told AFP it suits them just fine, and that they have been meeting at the venue for several years to enjoy a hobby they describe as a central part of their culture. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP)
The stretch of dirt alongside a motorway in the Negev desert is an unlikely setting for a weekly race meeting
Racegoers celebrate with the winning jockey
The Bedouins who gather at the site at sunrise most Fridays say the location suits them just fine
They have been meeting at the venue for several years to enjoy a hobby they describe as a central part of their culture
There's no grandstand or fence and spectators simply line up behind plastic tubing tied to posts
A jockey celebrates a race victory
People of all ages congregate, from a range of communities, coming together over a shared love of horse racing
As with other Arab countries and populations, horse racing has been an important part of Bedouin heritage for centuries
The more than 260,000 Bedouins in Israel are part of an Arab minority who make up about a fifth of the population
A man leads a horse before the race
Spectators watch from behind makeshift rails
Racing in the desert is thirsty work for the horses
A jockey celebrates as he crosses the finish line
A horse and a few spectators on a hillock overlooking the racetrack
