Registration opens for falconry festival in KSA

Emirati men sit with their falcons during a falconry competition, part of the 2014 International Festival of Falconry in Hameem, 150km west of Abu Dhabi, on December 9, 2014. (AFP)

The festival will take place in Malham from January 25 until February 3. (SPA)

• The festival will include “Mazayen” — a falcon beauty pageant — and “Melwah” a falcon-calling contest

JEDDAH: Falconers from around the Kingdom came to Courtyard by Marriott Riyadh on Friday to register for the King Abdul Aziz Festival of Falconry.
The festival will take place in Malham. It begins on Jan. 25 and runs until Feb. 3. According to a press statement, the festival “aims to support the pride and heritage of the Kingdom while preserving the authenticity and values of an important part of Saudi heritage.”
The festival will include “Mazayen” — a falcon beauty pageant — and “Melwah” a falcon-calling contest (over 400 meters).
Each competition will be open to “Farkh” (less than one-year-old) and “Qurnass” (more than one-year-old) birds.