الصقارة (al-saqara), the practice of falconry, began as a way to obtain food and grew into a tradition of learning, companionship and competition. In the UAE, people keep it alive by passing on practical knowledge: how to handle a bird, understand its responses and prepare it for flight. It belongs among the country’s heritage sports, but its significance extends beyond sporting results. UNESCO recognises the wider community of trainers, breeders, equipment makers and veterinary specialists that supports it.
From hunting knowledge to living heritage
Bedouin communities in the Arabian Peninsula used falcons to hunt where food could be scarce. DCT Abu Dhabi describes how the practice gradually developed from subsistence hunting into a valued social tradition and sport. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan practised falconry from his youth and supported initiatives linking its preservation with care for birds.
Falconry has a cultural life beyond the hunting ground, appearing in poetry, songs and stories. Read alongside Nabati poetry, it offers another way into the language and observations of desert life. Its history also belongs within the broader subject of salukis and desert hunting traditions, rather than standing apart as an isolated pursuit.
What UNESCO listed — and when
UNESCO first inscribed “Falconry, a living human heritage” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, through a multinational nomination that included the UAE. The current entry records an expanded inscription in 2021, shared by 24 countries. These dates mark stages in the recognition of the same shared heritage, not competing claims about when it was first listed.
The listing covers knowledge, skills and transmission between generations. It is not a World Heritage designation for a building or landscape, unlike the distinction discussed in our guide to Al Ain’s oases and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Nor should cultural recognition be taken as a welfare endorsement of every commercial falcon encounter. UNESCO’s account explicitly connects modern falconry with safeguarding birds, their quarry and their habitats.
Which falcons are used?
Sakers and peregrines are central names to recognise. Contemporary captive breeding also includes gyrfalcons and crosses between these species. A hybrid is a cross, not a separate wild species; appearance alone may not reveal a bird’s ancestry. International Wildlife Consultants, which undertakes falcon breeding and conservation research, identifies these three species and their hybrids as the main birds being bred.
At UAE competitions, شاهين (shaheen) means peregrine falcon. Race programmes may also use specialised labels for different breeding categories, so ask the organiser or falconer to explain the class rather than treating every unfamiliar name as another species. Age categories matter too: فرخ (farkh) denotes a young bird, while جرناس (jirnas) identifies an older bird in competition classifications. Exact eligibility depends on the event’s rules.
For a visitor, three questions are more useful than asking a falcon’s price: what species or cross is it, where was it bred, and what work or training does it do?
Training: repetition, equipment and understanding
A traditional training exercise uses a feathered lure attached to a line. The trainer moves it as the falcon approaches, prompting repeated attempts before allowing a catch. DCT Abu Dhabi emphasises patience and understanding the individual bird. Familiar equipment includes a leather hood, a protective forearm covering and a perch with a broad top and a shaft that can be set into sand.
The visible flight is only one part of the relationship. UNESCO describes falconry as a commitment encompassing breeding, handling, training and care, with families, mentors and clubs passing on knowledge. Watching someone explain a bird’s behaviour can therefore be as informative as watching the bird fly.
A demonstration is no substitute for an apprenticeship. Anyone considering ownership should first seek sustained instruction and specialist veterinary advice, rather than buying a bird after a brief encounter. Ask prospective teachers how they teach daily care, recognise problems and decide when a bird should not fly.
Falcon hospitals: seeing the care behind the sport
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital offers a structured visitor programme alongside its clinical work. Its published tour includes a falconry museum, an introduction to registration and passports, an examination-room visit and a free-flight aviary. Visitors may see work such as feather repair or claw care, although a working hospital cannot be expected to perform a particular procedure on demand.
This distinction matters: the visit offers a chance to understand the care supporting falconry, not simply to obtain a photograph. The hospital lists supervised photographs with a falcon as part of its programme, but handling should always follow staff instructions.
Before travelling:
- Book through the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital’s official tour page; advance booking is required.
- Confirm the current package, language, meeting time and directions directly.
- Ask about accessibility or children’s participation before paying.
- Let staff determine whether and how an encounter takes place; never reach towards a bird without permission.
Why falcons have passports
A falcon passport is a wildlife document, not a novelty souvenir. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, or MOCCAE, issues passports valid for three years for personal travel with eligible birds. In countries that accept the document, it can replace separate CITES certificates. CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The ministry requires legal acquisition, registration and an identification ring. Owners must be UAE citizens or residents with valid Emirates ID. A microchip may supplement the ring, but does not replace that requirement.
Acceptance is not universal. For countries that do not accept the passport, MOCCAE requires the relevant CITES export or re-export certificates. Veterinary and border requirements still apply. Owners should check the official falcon-passport service and confirm destination and carrier requirements before arranging travel. A passport should never be taken as permission to hunt.
Competitions: what spectators are watching
Falcon racing measures particular skills, rather than reproducing every aspect of traditional hunting. The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center has organised the Fazza Championship for Falconry–Telwah at Al Ruwayyah in Dubai, with published results recording timed flights over 400 metres and separate bird categories. That distance describes the documented competition format, not a universal rule for every falconry event.
For spectators, the useful details are the category, distance and recorded time. Ask for an explanation of the programme before the flights begin: closely matched results mean more when the classification is clear.
Dates, venues, entry conditions and public access can change between editions. Check the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center for its current announcements rather than relying on an old results report to plan a visit. When browsing heritage festivals, distinguish a static display, a flying demonstration and a championship; ask the organiser which is actually scheduled.
Ethics: care, provenance and conservation
Heritage and animal welfare should be considered together. A useful visitor’s checklist is to ask about legal provenance, veterinary support, rest between encounters and the handler’s willingness to stop an activity. Choose an encounter that explains care, not one that treats unlimited handling as the attraction. If an operator cannot answer basic questions, choose another experience.
Conservation takes more than releasing a captive bird. The Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme, launched in 1995, combines veterinary preparation with organised releases in suitable habitat. Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi’s account describes cooperation with conservation partners and the use of tracking data to inform the programme. This is managed work, not an invitation for owners to release birds themselves.
MOCCAE’s passport conditions explicitly require competent-authority approval before falcons are released in the UAE. Visitors can uphold the same principle of responsibility on a smaller scale: follow the handler’s boundaries, decline unsupervised handling and value an explanation of the bird’s needs as much as the flight itself.