Falconry: Saudi Kings’ Preferable Hobby
In Arab culture, names of specific animals and birds have been embedded in the collective memory of the Arab region, and in the Arabian Peninsula in particular.
Although the Arabian horse had the highest status, swimming over the desert, the falcon is occupying a great place among Arabs who accompanied it soaring and roaming with it in that space.
The falcon has many names in Arabic, and their poets praised his qualities in many words. Because of their admiration for his nobility and qualities, many of them named his sons after him.
The relationship with him developed over time from just using him in hunting as a “sniper” to the hobby of raising him, taking care of him, and training him, a hobby that its practitioners cherish, and some of them even have a craft that brings them a lot of money.
Saudi Arabia was interested in falcons at an early age, as the hobby of raising falcons is an ancient cultural heritage that people inherit from generation to generation.
Saudi Arabia has also joined the international conventions related to protecting falcons from extinction and protecting migratory birds.
Saudi Arabia’s interest in falcons
Saudi Arabia has paid great attention to this cultural heritage for a long time.
To complement this pioneering role, the royal order came to establish the Falcon Club in Saudi Arabia on 7/20/2017, to create an association that gathers falcon breeders, given the importance of sponsoring it and its connection to our heritage and culture.
In turn, the club launched several initiatives and events, including the Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition, which witnessed great success and a large audience last year, as it received more than 170,000 visitors over 5 days, with the participation of 250 local and international exhibitors, representing 20 countries.
The exhibition met the passion of amateurs through its dazzling sides and oases, in addition to the club’s organization of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival in its first edition.
The festival achieved great success and set a record for the number of falcons participating in its competitions. The number of participating falcons reached 1,723; The festival entered the Guinness Book of World Records.
Features of Saudi nature
Saudi Arabia is geographically located, representing a point of contact between three continents.
Its geological formation includes two of the eight well-known regions: the Eurasian region and the African tropical region.
This made the Kingdom a suitable environment for possessing sustainable components, which attracted a large number of animals and birds in its marine and terrestrial environments.
Traces of falcons were discovered in the Arabian Peninsula, more than 9,000 BC, in an area between the governorates of Tathleeth and Wadi Al-Dawasir.
Saudi Arabia, keen on the falconry heritage, supported the proposal of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 16, 2010, intending to inscribe the hobby of falconry on the List of Intangible World Heritage.
This registration has been approved; it undoubtedly contributes to a better vision of this intangible cultural heritage, highlights its importance, and encourages dialogue that respects the cultural diversity of people.
The prosperous reign of King Salman
On July 20, 2017, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – May God Protect Him – issued a royal order establishing the “Falcons Club” in return for the falcon’s association with our history, heritage and culture.
In that context, he also ordered that His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, be the general supervisor of the club, and His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior, as president to the club’s board of directors.
The royal order came to establish a falcon club, under the supervision of His Highness the Crown Prince, at a time when falcons suffer from the deterioration of their numbers worldwide, especially the wild hunting falcons registered in Saudi Arabia, whether immigrant or resident.
Aspirations of the Falcons Club
The Falconry Club aims to preserve the historical heritage and traditions associated with the culture of falconry and to implement many events and activities to raise awareness, training, research, and work programs to protect falcons, in a way that contributes to the flourishing of the hunting hobby, so that it remains a legacy passed down by generations, to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The Falcons Club expresses the history and civilization of the fathers and grandfathers who lived on the Arabian Peninsula through various ancient civilizations. It will gather falconers in Saudi Arabia, unify their efforts, control the hunting process, as well as provide an opportunity to know and follow up on the health conditions of falcons, and save some of their breeds from extinction, such as the falcon The freedom that Arabs take great pride in.
It will also (The Falcons Club) employs falconers in various regions of Saudi Arabia, especially in areas where falcons are known, with the establishment of hunting reserves for falcons, to be a tourist attraction for falconers during the hunting season.
Falconry History in Saudi Arabia
Falconry has been an integral part of the history of the Bedouins in Arabia for 10,000 years – archaeologists have even uncovered evidence of birds among the Neolithic remnants of the Maqar civilization found in the area.
Although falcons were important to survival in harsh desert climates, hunting has been banned in most parts of the desert region since 1975.
But competitions are still going on, and today “sports of kings” is a popular pastime across the Gulf region.
While much associate falconry with members of the royal family and the region’s wealthy elite, it still plays a major role in the fabric of local Saudi life.
The 2019 King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, which was held near Riyadh in December, won the Guinness Book of Records title with an astonishing attendance of 2,350 falcons.
The 2022 “Saudi Falcon Exhibition”… a Unique tourist destination
Amidst the intense presence of all visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom, the Saudi Falcon Club concluded the activities of the Falcon Exhibition and the International Hunting Auction, in its fourth edition this year, which lasted for 10 continuous days in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
In addition to the exhibition and auction, the Saudi Falcons Club will host additional activities such as live shooting ranges, food areas, popular sessions, and a large parking space for more than 15,000 cars. It also hosted the first international kite festival.
This year’s event – which is held at the headquarters of the Saudi Falcons Club in Mulham district, north of the Saudi capital, Riyadh – brought together the majority of interested parties and specialized agencies in the field, based on the historical relationship between the life of the Arab citizen, hunting and shooting with weapons.
But before going into any details related to this international and exceptional event, we must first know what the Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition is, in short, an event organized and supported by the Saudi Falcon Club.
It is a club that was established by royal order in 2017 and is supervised by Prince Muhammad bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi Crown Prince, and its board of directors is chaired by Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Minister of Interior.
The event, which was attended by more than 500,000 visitors this year over 10 working days, is a tourist destination for many segments of society, especially falconers, hunting enthusiasts, excursions, archery, and the acquisition of weapons.
The exhibition is also an important investment and commercial resource to support the Saudi economy while attracting visitors in Saudi Arabia and from sister countries and abroad by purchasing entry tickets at various prices, either electronically or from the exhibition headquarters.
The falcon exhibition includes 25 pavilions on an area spread over thousands of meters, including the “Falconer of the Future” pavilion for children, which includes 10 interactive games, scientific and cultural seminars, and training workshops on the best practical hunting experiences, in addition to a digital museum of falcons.
The international exhibition included various pavilions for trip equipment, such as four-wheel drive vehicles used in fishing operations, equipped with a bouquet of famous brands, most notably Ford and others, and included the presentation of “Okazion” offers to reduce prices on the occasion of the exhibition.
It is noteworthy that the current edition of the exhibition included the entry of new exhibitors from companies from outside the Kingdom, in addition to several companies that participated in the last edition, as the modified four-wheel drive vehicles represent a market for lovers of road trips and lovers of the hunting process.
The exhibition included a local market for about 26 shops for young people and owners of small businesses, in addition to displays of kites and wireless flying, which witnessed a distinguished presence of children.
The presentations of wireless aircraft, in cooperation with the Saudi Federation for Wireless Sports and Control, came in the aftermath, including a parade of wireless flying, with the participation of a group of Saudi pilots.
And players from 8 countries around the world participated in the kite competition to compete for the most beautiful kite design and the longest stay in the air.
Weapon Wing
The exhibition also witnessed the participation of 7 Saudi companies representing more than 55 brands, and for the first time, the exhibition provided a new feature for the immediate delivery of hunting weapons and firearms.
The process of purchasing weapons from the exhibition included 3 steps, the first of which was for the buyer to register his data on the website of the Saudi Falcons Club, then a medical examination and the third and final stage was to go to receive the weapon from the club.
The price of the highest weapon in the exhibition’s arms pavilion reached about SAR 115,000 , a weapon with the word “Auja” carved on it, according to the statement of one of the representatives of the entities participating in the exhibition pavilion.
It is noteworthy that the Saudi International Falcons and Hunting Exhibition, in its third edition, achieved weapons sales of SAR 200 million, through the sale of 110,000 weapons and ammunition of various calibers.
The exhibition also witnessed the organization of a competitive daily auction between falconers and producers for the second time in a row, which is classified as the largest global auction of falcons, and included the participation of more than 40 farms from 17 countries from around the world, most notably the United States, Germany, Spain, and Britain.
The exhibition witnessed sales deals on the auction stage and inside production farms for elite falcons from around the world and falcons of rare breeds that have won international championships. On the last night of the international auction of falcon production farms, 3 falcons were sold at a value of SAR 262,000.
The first falcon sold this night is a “free chick” from the German Houbara Falcons farm, as its auction started at SAR 50,000 and the bidding continued on it until it was sold at a value of SAR 177,000.
The second falcon “free chick” was sold to the same farm for SAR 51,000, while the third falcon, a free chick from Hur, was sold to the German SSS FALCON farm at a value of SAR 34,000.
Arts District
The club inaugurated a special area called “the Arts District”, which witnessed a wide presence of calligraphers in the plastic art of the Arabic letter, with the participation of the artist Salma Hassan and Khaled Al-Mutlaq, where they employed the Arabic letter to launch messages calling for the preservation of Arab heritage and identity.
The Arts District was distinguished by the diversity of the art schools participating in it, which brought together 6 schools: Harufiyyat, Realism, Surrealism, Abstraction, and Cubism.
28 artists from 7 countries, including 18 Saudi artists, participated in the “Saqr Feather” competition for fine arts, in addition to holding two other competitions in photography and wild cooking.
The value of the prizes in the “Falcon’s Feather” competition amounted to SAR 120,000, distributed over 6 artistic tracks, as Muhammad Al Shaye won the abstract art track, Maryam Al-Rashidi in the surreal art track, Salman Al-Amir in the realistic art track using the knife, Hala Al-Abdali in the collage track, and Khaled Al-Mutlaq in the formation track with the Arabic letter.
Moreove, 18 male and female artists participated in the “Falcon’s Feather” competition, as 3 artists competed in each track by presenting an artwork that is prepared and executed during the exhibition days directly in front of the public and revolves around falcons and the hunting environment.
The jury included a variety of experienced artists, and the competition provided all the requirements such as stands, colors, brushes, and stones for sculpting, in addition to allocating a booth for each of them to display all the works they wish to sell.
According to statements reported by the media center of the Saudi Falcons Club, Fahd Gharman, head of the competition’s jury, said that the club’s organizers focused on providing an artistic space in the exhibition to enrich the cultural scene, highlighting the ancient Saudi falcon heritage and expressing the message of art towards preserving this heritage.
Support from Reserves
The Saudi International Falcons Exhibition received strong support and participation from several famous reserves in Saudi Arabia and the region, the most important of which are the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve.
The participation in the development of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is the second in a row, through a pavilion to introduce the work and roles of the authority and its initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of preserving natural resources and integration with society to protect and develop the environment.
The pavilion of the King Abdulaziz Reserve Development Authority witnessed a remarkable turnout of visitors and officials, to learn about the nature, geographical and historical features of the reserve, and its role in protecting the environment.
The King Abdul Aziz Reserve focused on highlighting its participation in the “Friend of the Reserve” initiative, in addition to participating in the “Environmental Media Platform” launched by the Reserve on the sidelines of its participation in the exhibition.
The aforementioned platform aims to spread environmental awareness, knowledge, and content specialized in protecting and developing the environment by holding video interviews with several media professionals and specialists.
The commission’s participation came within the framework of keeping pace with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the goals of the “Green Saudi” initiative to combat climate change and preserve biological diversity, according to a statement by the Falcon Club’s media center.
Also, the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve participated in the event intending to introduce the reserve’s characteristics and its natural treasures, and introduce visitors to the most important types of falcons found on its lands.
The Saudi Falcons Exhibition also hosted the Royal Jordanian Society for the Conservation of Nature to present the Jordanian experience of organizing hunting in Jordan and training falcons and everything related to that.
Educational Seminars
The Saudi International Falcons and Hunting Exhibition devoted scientific symposia on methods of care and nutrition for falcons and the diseases that may affect them, in addition to taking care of the environment in which the falcon is hunted and achieving ecological balance in this process.
The exhibition witnessed training workshops accompanied by the establishment of two scientific symposiums focused on nutrition and veterinary diseases of falcons, such as nutritional deficiency and the most important diseases that may affect them.
In turn, Dr. Mohamed Sabry, assistant professor in the Department of Science at the College of Veterinary Medicine at King Faisal University, explained the most important common diseases among falcons in Saudi Arabia, how to detect them early, and their most important symptoms.
During a workshop entitled (Falconry and Conservation of the Environment), environmental activist Bob Dalton stressed the need to legalize hunting rare animals such as houbara and others, and to preserve heritage through reproduction and release some of them into their natural environment to achieve ecological balance.
Foreign Ambassadors are among the guests.
The Saudi International Falcons and Hunting Exhibition attracted officials from several countries through ambassadors, such as Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif Al Nahyan, the UAE’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Bandar bin Muhammad Al-Attiyah, Qatar’s ambassador, and Dr. Mohamed Ali Boughazi, the Algerian ambassador, participated.
In addition to the presence of Nuno Matthias, Ambassador of the Republic of Portugal to the Kingdom, Jorge Ibia, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Kingdom, Mogobo David Machabe, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa, and Akram Karimi, Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Kingdom.
The ambassadors toured the exhibition and got acquainted with its pavilions, the equipment of the daily auction, and the participating production farms.
It is noteworthy that the Saudi Falcons Club is preparing, during the coming period, to announce the rest of the dates for the 2022 events, which include the details of the Saudi Falcons Club auction in its third edition, which is dedicated to offering falcons, and the King Abdulaziz Falcons Festival in its fifth edition, as the largest gathering of falcons in the world.
The club aims to preserve the historical heritage and traditions associated with the culture of falconry and to play roles related to awareness, training, research, and work programs to protect falcons and the prosperity of the sport of hunting.
Falconry: Saudi Kings’ Favorite Hoppy
Kings, Presidents, and leaders need hobbies more than anyone else. They are ultimately in a position of responsibility, which means that the “normal” activities we do, which we take for granted, are not available to them. They are always busy and their positions necessitate them to give up many things.
On the other hand, kings and those who are in a position of responsibility live under many pressures, and therefore they need an outlet that enables them to relax and distance themselves, even for a short period, from the concerns and responsibilities of the government.
The kings of Saudi Arabia have their hobbies, some of which intersect and some of which differ. Let’s get acquainted with the activities that they were keen to do, when they had time, to relax.
Below we review the most prominent hobbies of Saudi kings throughout history.
King Abdul Aziz Al Saud and his love for equestrian
Although the life of the founding king and since his childhood was full of rapid events that made him mature early and participate in political life since his childhood, he used to dedicate some time to himself, although the margin of time he had for himself shrank dramatically after taking over the functions of government after the unification of the kingdom.
King Abdul Aziz loved the desert as he loved equestrianism, which was more than a hobby, for it is part of his identity and heritage.
According to several historians, falconry is one of the activities that the founding king preferred over others because its practice means being in the desert and staying away from worries and responsibilities for some time… that is, getting rest for the mind and body and thinking more clearly away from the noise.
It is said that the king was intending knee and soil plains to practice falconry, after which the hobbies of Saudi kings emerged throughout history.
Hobbies of King Saud bin Abdulaziz
There is not much information about King Saud bin Abdul Aziz’s hobbies and the little information available talks about his love for equestrianism, a love that the founding father planted in all his children in addition to hunting and hunting.
And the king’s weapon in hunting was not the rifle, but the falcon, which was very careful about raising, especially since those who practiced this sport were competing in acquiring excellent types of falcons.
The purpose of hunting and hunting trips was not to hunt game, but rather for recreation and movement between the plains and valleys.
King Faisal’s hobbies
Among the hobbies of Saudi kings, King Faisal was known for his extreme humility, kindness, and tact with everyone without exception, and for this reason, he was ascetic during his rule, so he kept away from the manifestations of extravagance and luxury.
His favorite hobbies were falconry and hunting which brought him back to his roots. Before assuming power, he used to spend his spare time in al-Qannas, and later, after taking power and being preoccupied with the affairs of the state, King Faisal no longer found time to practice the hobby he loved.
King Faisal’s love for hunting brought good to the inhabitants of the prairies, as his knowledge of their conditions made him continually improve their conditions.
His second hobby was reading, as he loved the Arabic language, and according to the book “Al-Khafajiun fi Al-Tarikh,” Sheikh Abdul Aziz presented the king with a copy of his book “Abu Dalaf, a genius of Yanbu,” as soon as it was published, and the next day he was surprised that the king finished reading it.
The king also loved literature and history, and had a special love for popular poetry, as he was lending poetry in his youth several historians suggest that he will continue to do so during the later stages of his life, but they do not have evidence to prove this, as he did not publish what he wrote.
All they rely on are the accounts circulating about the king giving his poetry to his close friends.
King Faisal also loved the Najd parade, and during the visit of the Sudanese President, the King went to the parade grounds and participated in the Najd parade, inflaming the enthusiasm of all princes and sheikhs.
King Khalid bin Abdulaziz .. Hunting in the depths of the desert
Among the hobbies of the kings of Saudi Arabia, according to several historians, King Khalid did not feel happy except during the sniper in the depths of the desert. This hobby was keeping him away from worries and responsibilities and formalities and adherence to them.
The king’s sniping trips began before dawn, and he spent his day hunting and did not return until sunset.
According to the circulating accounts, he used to travel a distance of 200 km per day, even though those areas were full of hills and sand.
King Khaled’s second hobby, was camel breeding, and according to experts, this hobby without planning or intention had positive results, as the people imitated the king and the acquisition of camels spread everywhere.
King Fahd’s hobbies
The hobbies of king of Saudi Arabia, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, loved culture and literature. Reading was a hobby and love, and he nourished his passion for knowledge by meeting intellectuals and writers permanently.
In a rare interview, King Fahd revealed his hobby, indicating that he likes to go out to the desert and enjoy its air. The king continued, “As for the sports that I used to prefer in the past, they were walking, swimming, and horse riding, as there was time, but now there is no time to practice any kind of sports.” Except for Thursday.
King Abdullah’s hobbies
King Abdullah was known for his great love for reading, which is his first and favorite hobby.
The king was reading all the books in various fields and even he was keen to read the books he disagreed with to have sufficient knowledge that would enable him to decide whether his opinion was right or wrong and thus change his opinion about this or that part.
His great love for reading is evident in his saying, “A book you read in the evening does not replace a book you read in the morning.” King Abdullah believed that a good selection of books and their topics is the way to understand the culture of the era and experience its fast pace.
According to those close to him, he used to treat reading as a mental and spiritual sport and therefore devoted much of his time to it.
King Abdullah’s second hobby was going out to the desert, which he used to head to whenever he found some time.
The third hobby of King Abdullah is equestrian.
Fearing the extinction of the equestrian sport, the King established the Equestrian Club in the city of Riyadh and encouraged the preservation of this sport.
However, despite his love for all these activities, he was unable to practice them because of his constant preoccupation.
King Salman’s hobbies
King Salman bin Abdulaziz is very careful about his privacy and therefore very little personal information is available about him.
Reading is one of King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s hobbies, and his private library in his palace in Ma’ather shows us a small aspect of the comprehensiveness of his interests.
According to some press reports, the library contains 20,000 books, ranging from the most important encyclopedias and reference works in religious sciences, in addition to books on Arab and Islamic heritage and history.
However, the King’s interest is not limited to the religious and heritage aspect only. The library also contains the most important sources of political science and administration, in addition to a large collection of research, reports, and university theses.
The library includes books related to the modern and ancient history of Saudi Arabia, the biography of King Abdul Aziz, memoirs, and collections of ancient and modern Arab poetry. There is a large part devoted to modern and ancient Saudi intellectual production.
King Salman is also a fan of equestrianism, and according to Al Arabiya, which published a rare photo of him in 2018, equestrianism is his favorite hobby.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, appeared in this rare picture riding a black Arabian horse, and the photo was accompanied by an explanation explaining that equestrianism is King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s favorite hobby.
