Doha: Chairperson of Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival (Marmi), Miteb Mubarak Al Qahtani, stated that over 16 years, the festival has succeeded in deepening falconry among generations.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Qahtani said over the past years, the festival envisioned the future to have falconry as one of the most consequential sports in the Qatari community, in pursuit of preserving this legacy which has become a global heritage after being added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Al Qahtani added that the success came by virtue of organizing special contests in many categories of falconry, which contributed to promoting this legacy among the community members, highlighting that since the festival’s launch 15 years ago, one of the main objectives was to train and qualify young falconers.
Today, those young falconers have grown, and they remain entangled with this legacy in their daily lives, prompting them to compete with adults and achieve successes in falconry festivals held in the Gulf states, something that underscores the successful strategy of Qatari Society of Al Gannas (AGQS) in fostering this sport in the community, said Al Qahtani.
He indicated that the festival continues to offer competitions for young people, affirming that in 2025, the event features the promising falconer championship for the age group from 11 to 15, based on a 200-meter flight distance.
Al Qahtani highlighted that such kinds of contests help youngsters learn about the tournament’s atmospheres and upscale their expertise, as long as helping them internalize the falconry skills does not stop at events, but rather goes beyond to include mobilizing training programs to have a conscious generation that loves falconry.
Marmi Festival is characterized by diverse contests, spanning a wide array of events, each highlighting a different facet of falconry, such as Talaa championship, which assesses falconers’ strong vision and capability to spot the prey, thereby offering a practical demonstration of hunting technologies, outlined Al Qahtani.
He highlighted that the Dawaa contest evaluates the speed of falcons, with Haddad Al Tahadi challenge being renowned for its suspense in spellbinding the spectators, particularly involving the confrontation between peregrine falcons and homing pigeons.
The festival also features other prestigious contests, such as the shooting championship, encompassing three categories in 2025, namely youth, adults, and elite, along with Saluki racing championship, to further broaden the horizon of this multifaceted celebration of falconry and hunting traditions, added Al Qahtani.
Al Qahtani highlighted that the festival sees record turnout from falconers on annual basis who register in various categories, followed by the large turnout from spectators such as citizens, residents and tourists who are punctual to attend at Marmi area in Sealine to have a glimpse of this Qatari legacy, with the event earning a special nature when guests flock from Gulf and Arab nations, thereby fostering the ethos of interaction and cultural exchange.
He emphasized that the festival is focused on preserving the natural habitat and falcons through many domestic initiatives that primarily aim to return falcons to their natural habitats, asserting that AGQS is committed to protecting biodiversity as these campaigns are subject to international imprimaturs, in addition to organizing cultural campaigns for falconers on the importance of protecting birds through leveraging cutting-edge technologies.
