With Hoods, Luers, Yurts, Kalpaks And Mighty Birds, 800 Falconers From 80 Countries Arrive At Abu Dhabi's Al Forsan Sport Resort

For the past three days, as many as 800 falconers from 80 countries were
gathered in a remote desert area in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi emirate. They were here training, practicing and talking all matters falconry, preparing for the three days of shows that the third International Falconry Festival is bringing to Al Forsan International Sport Resort in Abu Dhabi this December 11-13.

Far from any city or street lights, it is pitch black here at night. A rich, star-studded sky covers the campsite in the late hours and small campfires pop up here and there.
Yousef Al Hammadi is among the hundreds of falconers to spend this last night in the desert sessions of the Falconry Festival under the stars. He first learnt how to hold his falcon from his father, grandfather and his uncles when he was only 15 years old. Now, Yousef has been an experienced falconer for nearly 20 years.

"I love falcons because they teach you patience," he said.
"It is not easy to get a falcon to trust you. It takes time and experience to learn how to handle it, but the rewards are more than worth it. Not only that, but working with falcons makes you more alert, you spot things and situation much faster."

From Thursday, December 11th, Yousef will join his fellow falconers from UAE, Venezuela, South Africa, UK, Czech Republic, Morocco, Australia, Mexico, Kirgizstan and elsewhere in the world in Al Forsan grounds, where the festival will be opened to the public.
First hosted by Al Jahli Fort in Al Ain in December 2011, the International Festival of Falconry is organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi and the Emirates Falconers Club, as part of Abu Dhabi's falconry preservation efforts, after this centuries old tradition has been inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, a multi-nation initiative led by Abu Dhabi.
"This second time around we have even more participants from even more countries - 800 falconers from 80 nations," said Abdullah Butti Al Qubaisi, Director of Projects Management at the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi.

"To give it a different flavour, about 80 percent of the participants this year come from different falconry clubs than in the previous festival. Also this year we have an educational programme focusing on environmental and biodiversity conservation, with the participation of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation, the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation fund, and the Al Ain Zoo among others."

"One of the most important aspects of the festival this year is the Falconry Conference, where about 50 experts will discuss all issues regarding falconry, including the UNESCO action plans for falconry," concluded Al Qubaisi.
A special arena is set up at the festival, where there will be daily falconry shows, including a Grand Parade of Nations, where the 80 participant nations will come together into the arena with their birds and flags in their national dress.
A souk, cafes, a ladies majlis, UAE, Eastern European and South American pavilions, a Medieval Tent, village set ups from the Asian steppe, North American Indian tepee, a family area with educational and entertainment programmes are but a few attractions at the Festival.