Local Amateur Falconers Showcase Skills On Day 4 Of King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2024

The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2024, hosted by the Saudi Falcons Club, saw 182 local amateur falconers compete on its fourth day. The festival, which continues until December 19 at the club's headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh, offers prizes exceeding SAR36 million. This is the largest prize pool in the festival's history.

Local amateurs displayed remarkable skills in six qualifying heats of the Al-Mellwah race held on Friday. The heats were divided into categories for Peregrine (Farkh and Qarnas), Gyr Hybrid (Farkh and Qarnas), and Saker falcons. Seven participants from each heat advanced to the finals, where winners will receive the King Abdulaziz Cup in their respective categories.

The competition began with the Farkh heat, where Marwan, owned by Mishal Al-Shammari, claimed first place. Maayouf, owned by Hussein Al-Hajri, secured second place, while 01, owned by Turki Abu Shuairbat, finished third. In the Peregrine (Qarnas) heat, H1, owned by Saif Al-Buainain, emerged victorious. Tarab, owned by Abdulrahman Al-Fuhaigi, came second and Haddaj, owned by Jaber Al-Marri, took third place.

In the Gyr Hybrid (Farkh) category, Mawqifah triumphed with Faisal Al-Mutairi as its owner. Al-Kaidah followed in second place under Hatem Al-Mutairi's ownership and Ghadab secured third for Obaid Al-Otaibi. The Gyr Hybrid (Qarnas) heat saw M2 take first place for Mansour Al-Ghasham. Sami came second for Turki Al-Rubaian and Gharah finished third for Bandar Al-Mutlaq.

The fifth heat featured Peregrine (Farkh) falcons with Manqoush winning under Mishari Al-Otaibi's ownership. Siadah took second for Mishal Al-Shammari and Shajaah placed third for Hamad Al-Marri. The day concluded with another Peregrine (Qarnas) heat where Farah won first place for Mansour Al-Rajhi. Baroud came second for Hamad Al-Marri and Shibah finished third for Jarallah Al-Marri.

The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival is recognised as the largest gathering of falcons globally. It has entered the Guinness World Records three times due to its high number of participating falcons. This event unites top local and international falconers to preserve and promote falconry's cultural heritage.

The festival aims to foster competition within this traditional hobby while ensuring its sustainability for future generations.

With inputs from SPA