Dubai, 13 January 2021: More than 2,000 falcons have already seen action at the ongoing Fazza Championship for Falconry–Telwah, which runs until January 15 at Ruwayyah desert area in Dubai.

Organised by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, falcons taking part in the competition are broadly separated into Farkh (under one year of age) and Jirnas (over one year), and each category has races for Sakr (falcon) and Shaheen (peregrine).

Excitement and strong competition in the Open Category were high on Wednesday and Thursday as races saw participation from the best falconers from Gulf countries, reflecting the rich tradition in the Arab world.

Results

Dubai team won first place in first race with falcon named “Prairie” finishing the 400-metre distance with a time of 17.939 seconds, followed by Muhammad Khalifa Al Mansouri’s bird “T4” at 18.046 seconds, while another Dubai team bird, “Al-Tuff”, came in third at 18.047 seconds.

Saudi national Amin bin Abdullah Al-Mallah achieved first place in following race, with his Jirnas bird named “Barq” reaching the finish line with a time of 17.459 seconds, followed by Hamid Rashid Al-Mansoori’s “Harb” at 17.499 seconds, and in third place was Saif Jamal Al-Huraiz’s bird “35” (17.512 seconds).

Hamid Muhammad Al Tayer won the third race with his bird “Arrow” finishing in 17.714 seconds, followed by Ibrahim Ali Al-Tamr’s “Mayhab 2” (17.779 seconds) and Dubai team’s bird “189” (18.046 seconds).

Muhammad Ali Al-Asiri, meanwhile, dominated the fourth race with  with his Jirnas falcon named “T18” coming at an amazing speed and time of 16.945 seconds, followed by Khaled Nasser Al-Hajri’s “T100” at 17.327 seconds, and Bahraini BHR team’s bird “T14” in third position with a time of 17.335 seconds.

Ghanem Khalfan Al Mazrouei also excelled in another race with his falcon “H52” finishing in first place with a time of 17.210 seconds, followed by Ghadeer Suhail Al-Ketbi’s “Tamm” at 17,411 seconds, and Saif Jamal Al-Hariz’s falcon “T1” (17.506 seconds).

Brotherhood and strong bond

Rashid Al Khasouni, HHC Director of Championships, praised the strong bond and brotherhood among the falconers. He said: “Falconry, as a traditional sport, has always been associated with the traditional Arabian values of courage, honour and nobility as well as nature conservation, respect for animals and the camaraderie among falconers. These are the values that we promoting at this sport – it is also a celebration of our heritage that is passed on from many generations.” 

Races will continue on Friday and Saturday.