ABU DHABI – The International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Abu Dhabi 2014) announced a general invitation for falcon farms and their owners to participate in the contest for the best looking and largest falcons in the world. 

Emirates Falconers’ Club formed a judging committee consisting of UAE and international experts in the field of falcons and their breeding. Participating falcons are accurately evaluated according to various qualifications; such as weight, measures of the bird’s body,  their feather’s consistency and color, and details of the bird’s head, body and legs. Participating falcons are evaluated as well according to the beauty of their general look, as well as their health and their being free of diseases.

The coming 12th edition of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition is held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club supported by The Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee in Abu Dhabi, and organized by the Emirates Falconers’ Club and Informa Exhibitions Company from September 10-13 in Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Center.

The Falcon Beauty Contest became world-renowned and attracted various participants who are committed to offer the best they have of the breeding falcons in falcon farms all over the world and in the region. This contest gained the appreciation of the regional and international bodies interested in preserving the heritage and conserving the environment; due to the great motivation this contest granted for falconers to preserve the wild falcons.

Through this unique achievement, falconry achieved the most sophisticated and important international recognition. According to the Emirates Falconers’ Club, this beautiful hobby does not mean practicing hunting only, but it rather represents a range of social and inherited traditions and values, and a repertoire rich in cultural heritage dating back thousands of years, which countries, groups and individuals share, cherish and are proud of.

The project of registering falconry in the UNESCO, which was adopted by Abu Dhabi and the UAE, is one of the heritage projects that offer a unique model in coexistence and cultural and civilizational integration among peoples of the world.