Majestic wings of Arabia

Standing to one side in the impressive lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa is a man dressed immaculately in crisp whites, smiling at the curious guests who glance his way.

But he could be invisible as all eyes are firmly focused on the winged wonder perched majestically on his hand.
The falcon’s aura is indeed mesmerising; its wings calm and composed.
Yet, away from the splendour of the Seef district hotel, at the far end of the island, a man carefully picks finely cuts pieces of meat and feeds a sick bird that has a throat infection and cannot feed for itself.
As carefully as nurturing an infant, the experienced pair of hands slowly, but steadily, finishes off the feed and washes up at the Areen Falcon Clinic.
Dr Mohamed Aladin Ashour, the head of the veterinary section at the Directorate of Protected Areas, explains that the falcon is under medication and until its infection vanishes the bird has to be painstakingly restored back to health.
Falcons are a popular image often used to portray and promote the Middle East sight in pictures and on postcards. Though falconry hasn’t covered the shores of Oman and Yemen, the birds are clearly identified with the rest of the region, more specifically Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and some parts of Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
Dr Mohamed said: “Falconry is an ancient heritage of Bahrain. It is a part of our tradition. It has been passed on from generation to generation. It is our pride.
“The sport has been associated with our culture for ages because Arabs lived in areas where many migrant birds passed over.”
As well as being so close to the hearts of Bahrainis, they are always a hit with the region’s growing number of tourists and many expatriates who now feel that the kingdom is their home.
Three falcons take turns gracing the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton and they are specifically brought in from the Al Jazeera Stables in Saar, owned and managed by animal lover, Abdulla Alobaidli.
Falconry is a common hobby particularly amongst the more affluent communities in the Gulf although the sport was first witnessed in regions like Mongolia, Japan, China and Korea where they became an icon of bravery and courage for huntsmen.
To this day, when these birds are not hunting or being exercised they are kept leashed and their eyes are normally covered with a burqa or hood so that they remain quiet. A light weight tether is attached to either of their ankles and they are either perched on a falconer’s arm on a protective glove called a  ‘mangalah’ or a portable perch called ‘wakir’.
Of all the many migratory birds, falcons were preferred for hunting because of their ability to capture bigger prey.
“It’s a killing machine in fact. It is able to fly fast and capture large birds like the houbara,” says Dr Mohamed.
In the region two main types of falcons are seen; the peregrine and the saker. Their quarry is normally the houbara bustard or the stone curlew that is more common during spring. The houbara has been a favoured target ever since the sport was brought into this region. These birds are present from Egypt to Mongolia and migrate to the Arab lands during the winter months, more specifically from November to March.
Usually, a group of hunters will make camp in the desert on an expedition. Armed with their birds they will stay for days at end before returning home with a catch.
“The sport is all about capturing birds from the wild and hunting them. Hunting trips are made to the desert where the quarry is hunted for hours.
“Once a quarry is found, it is taken back to their tents and is feasted upon over with some coffee.
“People enjoy this in the desert and take time out camping. It happens even today in Bahrain as well as around the Gulf. The falcons are taken to the desert and sometimes people even go camping for months,” explains Dr Mohamed.
In Bahrain, the Royal Family is recognised as keen supporters of falconry and other families keep falcons for hunting on their own property or for going on hunting trips to Iran, Kazhakistan, Kargystan, Pakistan and other nearby destinations.
The regal golden falcon on the wings of the Gulf Air airlines gives a vivid picture of the importance the bird receives in this region. The airline chose the falcon as its brand identity as it was the unofficial symbol of the region. The respect the bird receives is unparalleled as it gets special consideration while travelling with its owner, having one whole seat dedicated for it. The more extravagant owners ensure the birds travel with no expense spared in special chartered flights.

Special Report
By Shilpa Chandran
shilpa.chandran@gulfweekly.com