King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival

King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival is an international festival organized annually by the Saudi Falcons Club. It is held on an area of 650,000 m² at the club’s headquarters in Mulham, north of Riyadh City, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The festival targets all categories of falcons participating in al-Melwah and al-Mazayen competitions. Its first edition was launched on January 25, 2019, and the total value of its prizes exceeds SAR17 million. Falcon owners from the Kingdom, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and other nations take part. Over 1,700 falcons participated in its first edition.

On February 3, 2019, the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival entered the Guinness World Records as the largest falcon race championship in the world, with 1,723 falcons competing over ten days from January 25 to February 3, 2019.

The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival aims to introduce the cultural heritage of the people of the Arabian Peninsula, demonstrating the Kingdom’s interest in falconers and falcons, and reinforcing cultural and environmental concepts related to this heritage. The Kingdom is among eleven countries listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as falcon-breeding nations, serving as a habitat for various species of falcons and a route for migratory ones.

The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival includes a variety of entertainment, cultural, and educational activities and events, such as a food court, a heritage market, a theater, a falcon museum, camping areas, a shooting range, and a commercial zone for falconers.

Poetry and musical evenings featuring poets from the Kingdom and the Gulf region are also held. The festival dedicates a special area to young falconers to preserve cultural identity and pass this historical hobby to future generations under the guidance of falconry specialists.

Attendees can participate in various activities at the theater, prepared for global heritage and artistic performances, covering 4,600 m² and accommodating about 2,800 people.

In addition, the festival offers heritage-related activities on the sidelines, such as staying in camps equipped to offer an enriching experience, a private theater, and a falcon museum. The museum introduces visitors to falcons and their historical significance in Arab and global cultural heritage, explaining training methods and falconry techniques. It also includes a contemporary art exhibition illustrating the history of falconry in the Arabian Peninsula and the evolution of this hobby in the modern era.

The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival witnesses local and international participation. In its first edition, 1,723 falcons were registered. Also, 240 Saudi competitors participated in heats designated for Saudi falconers, while open international heats were allocated for participants from the Kingdom, Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and other nations, resulting in 120 winners across twelve heats.

In al-Melwah four hundred m Cup Heats, categories included: Hurr Farkh, Shaheen Farkh, Gyr Tebaa Farkh, Qarmoosha Farkh, Gyr Shaheen Qarnas, Qarmoosha Qarnas, Open International Heat, Harr Qarnas, Shaheen Qarnas, Gyr Tebaa Qarnas, Gyr Pure Qarnas, Gyr Pure Farkh, and Gyr Shaheen Farkh, culminating in thirty-nine winners. Al-Mazayen competition (Saudi and International Open) included categories: Harr (Farkh/Qarnas) and Gyr Pure (Farkh/Qarnas).

The total prize pool is about SAR17.6 million, of which SAR14.6 million is allocated to heats and cups, and SAR3 million to al-Mazayen competition.

The Saudi heats in al-Melwah (Dahoo) competition offer prizes worth SAR12.4 million distributed over twenty-four final heats and twelve cup heats. The Saudi final heats were held over six days with four heats per day, awarding the top ten finishers. The cup heats took place on the final day, with the top five falcons from each category’s heats qualifying for the cup heat, ten falcons per cup heat.

The international (open) elite heats have a prize pool of SAR2.2 million, distributed over twelve final heats and one cup heat. The final heats were held over three days, awarding the top ten finishers in each heat. The best five falcons from each heat qualified for the international cup heat, totaling sixty falcons.

The first-place winner in each of the Saudi and international cup heats received SAR500,000, the second-place winner SAR200,000, and the third-place winner SAR100,000. Al-Mazayen competition took place over four heats, each with prizes worth SAR750,000. The first-place winner received SAR500,000, the second-place winner SAR150,000, and the third-place winner SAR100,000.

In the first edition of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, the best photo competition offered SAR100,000 in prizes to three winners. The first-place winner received SAR50,000, the second SAR30,000, and the third SAR20,000.