By Khaled Al-Abdulhadi

The falcon holds a distinct cultural significance in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in Kuwait and the Gulf, where the tradition has evolved and embraced modern technologies rather than being abandoned. Falconry, once a crucial survival mechanism for ancient nomads, has transformed into a beloved hobby and a passionately pursued sport.

Falconry predates written history, with art depicting the practice created by the Hittites in the 13th century BCE. Originally a means of obtaining game for sustenance, the falconer would approach a trained hawk on a kill, offering a smaller piece of meat in their glove between the hawk’s beak and the carcass.

Zubair and Azeez, in their publication in Millennium Zoology (vol 9), explain that the objective of falconry is to hunt prey with trained falcons, typically favoring female falcons. Successful efforts are rewarded by allowing the falcon to consume a portion of the captured quarry while the falconer retains the rest.

The bond between the falconer and the bird becomes especially close, particularly after the falcon achieves its first kill, marking the completion of training. To aid in locating falcons during hunting, small, lightweight bells are attached to their legs. In modern falconry, many practitioners attach transmitters to trained falcons, allowing them to be tracked using radio-receiver units.

A man kisses his falcon during a training session in Salmi in 2015 in preparation for a falconry competition.

A Kuwaiti man holds his falcon during a training session in al-Salmi district, 120 kms west of Kuwait City, on December 19, 2015 in preparation for a falconry competition. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Falcons attack a domestic guineafowl (left) and a turkey (right) during a training session at Mutlaa Ridge in 2021.

A Kuwaiti inspects a falcon during an auction in 2021.

A falcon performs during a hunting competition in 2020. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

A man holds his falcon during a competition in Salmi in 2013.

A man holds a falcon during a hunting competition.

Zubair and Azeez explain that birds are trained by highly skilled trainers to perfect their hunting skills. Radio transmitters having a range up to 50 km are used to avoid losing the expensive birds during training and hunting.

Falconry is concentrated in the Arabian Gulf region, extending from the UAE in the southern Gulf, northward through Qatar, Bahrain, and into Kuwait. During the Middle Ages, falconry spread to Europe as merchants, adventurers and Crusaders familiarized themselves with the practice in the Middle East. However, with the advent of the shotgun, enclosure of open lands and societal changes, falconry nearly died out.

But falconry successfully resisted extinction in the contemporary world. While the ancient nomads viewed it as a necessity for securing a meal, today it thrives as more than a hobby or passion, serving as a poignant reminder of yesterday’s way of life.