Place · United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the seat of the federal government. It is home to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital and the Emirates Falconers' Club, and it hosts ADIHEX, an annual hunting and equestrian exhibition with a large falconry section.

4 eventsNext edition: ADIHEX (Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition), 27 August 2027 - 05 September 2027

History

The story of Abu Dhabi

The Bani Yas tribe, from which the Al Nahyan family descends, was originally settled around the Liwa Oasis. In 1761 a hunting party led by Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan found fresh water near the coast, and a settlement grew around a fort, Qasr Al Hosn, which still stands in the city centre.

A first oil concession was signed in 1936, and offshore oil was found at Umm Shaif in 1958, followed by an onshore discovery in 1959. On 6 August 1966 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became ruler.

On 2 December 1971 Abu Dhabi and five other emirates formed the United Arab Emirates, with Sheikh Zayed as the first President. Oil revenue turned a small coastal town into the federal capital.

Today the Department of Culture and Tourism is the authority responsible for the emirate's heritage and its UNESCO nominations.

Falconry here

Falconry in Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan organised the first International Conference on Falconry and Nature Conservation in Abu Dhabi in late 1976, according to Gulf News. The Falcon Research and Release Programme followed in 1995 under Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then Crown Prince.

The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, run by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, opened on 3 October 1999. It treats about 11,000 birds a year and offers guided tours.

ADIHEX was first held in 2003 and is organised by ADNEC Group with the Emirates Falconers' Club; the 2026 edition was scheduled for 28 August to 6 September at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, with 55 falcon-breeding farms taking part.

Falconry has been on the UNESCO Representative List since 2010, and the Department of Culture and Tourism lists it in the emirate's heritage register.

Good to know

The UAE requires each falcon entering or leaving the country to have its own passport.

National Geographic

Good to know

The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital has individual air-conditioned rooms for more than 200 birds.

Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (Wikipedia)

Events here

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Sources

Facts on this page come from the sources below, checked on the date of writing. Check with the organiser before travelling.

Scope of this pageSaqrBridge is not the organiser of the events listed here and sells nothing there. The text is an editorial summary drawn from the cited sources.

Abu Dhabi

The story of Abu Dhabi

Falconry in Abu Dhabi

Events here

ADIHEX (Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition)

International Festival of Falconry

Sheikh Zayed Falconry Festival

UAE President's Cup (Falconry, Al-Haddad, Mazayna)

Also in the region