Results of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025, Day 7 for Professionals
The skies above Malham, north of Riyadh, witnessed an exceptional day of intense competition as part of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025 , the world's largest event of its kind, organized by the Saudi Falcons Club . The seventh day of competition, Wednesday, was dedicated to the qualifying rounds for local professionals in the Al-Malwah (falconry) competition, amidst a remarkable public turnout and wide participation from elite falconers.
The importance of the festival and its global standing
This annual event reaffirms the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's position as a major hub for falconry heritage. The festival has achieved record-breaking feats in its previous and current editions, earning entries in the Guinness World Records and cementing the Kingdom's leadership in this field. The festival's significance extends beyond competition; it serves as a cultural and heritage platform aimed at passing this time-honored tradition from generation to generation, ensuring the sustainability of Saudi cultural heritage in line with the goals of Vision 2030 to strengthen national identity.
Details of the seventh day's competitions
The seventh day saw the participation of 185 falcons distributed across six main rounds, encompassing the categories of: Shaheen (young and adult), Gyrfalcon-Shaheen (young and adult), and Gyrfalcon-Peregrine hybrid (young and adult). The results highlighted the skill of Saudi falconers and their ability to prepare their birds for competition over a distance of 400 meters (the lure).
Results of the Shaheen category
In the Shaheen Farakh category, falconer Saud Al-Shaibani secured first place with his falcon (9), followed by Abdullah Hamad Al-Marri with his falcon (Al-Hashimiyah), and Khalid bin Ta'is Al-Qahtani in third place. In the Shaheen Qarnas , Faisal bin Jumaa won first place with his falcon (Reef), Hani Al-Shalawi came in second, and Hamad Nasser Al-Marri in third.
Dominance and surprises in the gear categories
Gyrfalcon category, Al-Qahtani won first place with his falcon (Roumel). In one of the festival's biggest surprises, falconer Noura bint Hamid Al-Mansouri snatched first place in the Gyrfalcon adult with her falcon (Adbas), outperforming strong competitors. Abdulhadi Al-Mutairi came in second and Mohammed Al-Hamdhawi third, reflecting the growing participation of women in this traditional sport.
In the Gyrfalcon , Abdulhadi Al-Mutairi achieved first place in the (young) category with the falcon (Hadawi), while Jaber Al-Marri won first place in the (adult) category with the falcon (Mundhir).
Huge prizes and unprecedented support
The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025 is distinguished by offering the largest cash prizes in the history of falconry competitions, with a total prize pool exceeding 38 million Saudi Riyals , distributed across 1,012 prizes in 139 diverse rounds. The main competitions are divided into the Al-Malwah competition, which focuses on speed, and the Al-Mazayin competition, which evaluates the aesthetic qualities of falcons according to precise criteria. This makes the festival a key destination for professional and amateur falconers from within the Kingdom and abroad, and a significant economic and cultural driver for the region.
