Gulf and Middle East

The story of Gulf and Middle East

Falconry in the region goes back to the Bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula, who caught migrating falcons in autumn and used them to hunt houbara bustards and desert hares, an important source of food in a harsh environment.

Written and archaeological evidence suggests that the art may have begun in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC, although some early depictions are disputed. By the early seventh century falconry was already popular in Arabia, and the Quran allows food caught by trained hunting animals.

In the twentieth century oil wealth and rapid development reduced traditional hunting in several Gulf states, and falconry became more a cultural and sporting activity than a means of subsistence.

From the 1970s, governments began conservation and breeding programmes, and the practice was reorganised around clubs, federations and organised competitions.

Falconry in Gulf and Middle East

Falconry was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010 on the nomination of eleven states, among them Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

The listing has since been extended to 24 states, and UNESCO describes a wider community that includes falcon hospitals, breeding centres and conservation agencies. Institutions in the region reflect this. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital opened in 1999.

The Saudi Falcons Club was established in 2017 and organises the King Abdulaziz International Falconry Festival, first held in 2019. The UAE Falcons Federation, based in Dubai, was formed in 2021 to oversee competitions.

Abu Dhabi has held the ADIHEX hunting and equestrian exhibition since 2003, and Doha hosts the Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition, which was running in September 2017.

Captive breeding of both falcons and houbara bustards is a feature of conservation work, and the UAE now issues individual passports for falcons that travel across its borders.