Twelve falconers crowned at the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025
In a remarkable achievement reflecting the development of falconry in Saudi Arabia, the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025, organized by the Saudi Falcons Club at its headquarters in Mulham (north of Riyadh), awarded 12 elite local falconers the King Abdulaziz Cups in the Al-Malwah competition. The festival, a major heritage event, continues until next Saturday, attracting a large audience and significant international participation, further solidifying the Kingdom's position as a global destination for this ancient sport.
Details of the coronation and the champions' dominance
The elite local falconry rounds witnessed fierce competition with the participation of 120 falcons, which qualified from the preliminary rounds at a rate of 10 falcons per round, raising the level of challenge and excitement. The falconers shared the prizes, with the name "Amin Al-Mallah" standing out, having won 5 valuable cups in various categories, including "Gyr Pure Young" and "Gyr Peregrine" with the falcons (Al-Malika) and (Al-Qahira), the "Gyr Pure Gyr Peregrine" category with the falcon (Antar), in addition to "Gyr Peregrine G ...
On the other hand, "Team Expo" asserted its strong presence by winning five similar trophies, securing victories in the "Pure Gyrfalcon" category with the falcon (Jalmoud), the "Peregrine Falcon" and "Saker Falcon" categories with the falcons (S74) and (Al-Adwani), as well as the "Gyrfalcon Peregrine" category with the falcon (GB7) and the "Gyrfalcon" category with the falcon (T31). The list also included Hamid Barghash Al Mansouri's victory in the "Peregrine Falcon" category with his falcon (Oqab), while Sultan Al Mutairi snatched the "Peregrine Falcon" category with his falcon (Al-Sadawi).
Stay tuned for the professional competitions
All eyes will be on the local professional falconry competitions today, Wednesday, as the races intensify for 12 additional King Abdulaziz Cups. The competing categories include: Pure Gyrfalcon (juvenile and adult), Pure Gyrfalcon (juvenile and adult), Gyrfalcon-Peregrine hybrid (juvenile and adult), Gyrfalcon-Peregrine hybrid (juvenile and adult), Saker falcon (juvenile and adult), and Peregrine falcon (juvenile and adult), promising a day of intense competition and record-breaking performances.
Cultural dimension and global standing of the festival
The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival has gained strategic importance that goes beyond being a sporting event; it is a fundamental pillar in the Kingdom’s efforts to preserve intangible cultural heritage, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. The festival has succeeded in establishing its name globally by entering the Guinness Book of World Records three times as the largest falconry festival in the world in terms of the number of participating falcons, reflecting the scale of the organization and official interest in this hobby rooted in the history of the Arabian Peninsula.
Internationally, the festival has transformed into a cultural hub, bringing together falconers from across the globe. In addition to the extensive participation from the Gulf region, this year's festival boasts a distinguished presence of falconers from Spain, Italy, Ireland, Pakistan, and Syria. This diversity not only enriches the competition but also reinforces the Kingdom's leading role in the international falconry scene, supports heritage tourism, and opens avenues for cultural cooperation between nations through the gateway of shared heritage.
