S’hail 2017 International Hunting & Falcons Exhibition Opens
The first edition of the Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition, S’hail, 2017 was inaugurated at the Cultural Village Foundation, Katara, among the presence of falconry enthusiasts and visitors on Wednesday.
The ‘world class’ and first of its kind show is seeing the participation of over 90 local and several international companies specializing in falconry and hunting-related tools and equipment. Over 3,000 people and 1,000 online viewers had visited S’hail 2017 by six in the evening with more were lining up to get in.
The inaugural day saw VIP distinguished guests H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, H.E. Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, H.E. Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser Al Thani, and H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al Thani. In addition, Ooredoo Group CEO, H.E. Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani, and H.E. Sheikh Falah bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani also went along.
The attraction offers a diverse array of participants, from suppliers of hunting vehicles, tools, equipment and falcon care-related entities have formed for the unique exhibition. There are as many as 54 participants from Qatar; 15 from Kuwait besides from the overseas -- 5 from Spain; 4 from Pakistan; 3 from Germany; and one each from the US, England, France, South Africa, Azerbaijan and Lebanon.
The exhibition features more than 400 falcons from three local farms and nine other breeding farms from Spain, Germany, France and Russia. Furthermore, the exhibition also features several falcon veterinary clinics, including the Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital which is scheduled to conduct necessary tests for the falcons purchased from the exhibition.
The exhibition also welcomed many international hunting-related brands of camping gear, hunting arms and tools, and safaris which will be offered at significant discount. The exhibition showcases cultural stands from several countries including Morocco, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. These countries will introduce visitors to their cultural heritage in hunting and falconry.
In addition, several vintage hunting vehicles are being displayed to give the audience a close picture of the hunting arena in the past.
S’hail 2017 is one of the biggest international falcon exhibitions and has several events and activities, including a falcon auction. There is also a special stand for handicrafts related to hunting and falcon-related supplies.
Commenting on the exhibition, the General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation- Katara, H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, said; "By hosting the Katara International Hunting & Falcons Exhibition, Katara aims to highlight the Qatari cultural identity in the falconry field in Qatar and abroad. Syndicating ancient traditions with modernity leads to building communication bridges between people from all walks of life. Such innovative initiatives would enrich the cultural process which will hopefully keep expanding, evolving, growing and thriving."
The S’hail Falcon auction is one of the main events at Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition. In this event, falcons are offered for auction sale. The bidder, Al-Azmi from the State of Kuwait, purchased a falcon with 210,000 QAR ($56,816.14).
VIP Visit
The Katara International Hunting & Falcons Exhibition had a special guest on the opening day in Australian Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Dr. Axel Wabenhorst, who by his own admission was remarkably impressed by the unique and varied display.
Speaking on the occasion, the Ambassador said, “I haven’t seen an exhibition like this before. This is truly amazing. There are, first of all, a lot of falcons, but different species of falcons…you can tell it’s a very popular activity.”
Cultural Tent
On the sideline activities of Katara International Hunting & Falcons Exhibition, a traditional tent from Kyrgyzstan also attracted the fancy and curious eyes of all.
The ‘yurt,’ the traditional tent of the Kyrgyz people, portable, round and covered with skins or felt has been used as a dwelling in central Asia for over 3,000 years. The colorful and very cozy tent also has the Kyrgyz people dressed in their traditional attire offering sweets to visitors in their true style and tradition.
The Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Mr. Nuran S. Niyazaliev explained the idea of the ‘yurt’ and its presence at the exhibition. “The Kyrgyz and Qatari people have many similarities. Like Qataris, the Krygyz people have been nomads and used falcons for hunting. That’s why we decided to bring and showcase our traditional nomadic house to Qatar to show the people that in central Asia, too, we share the same culture.”
“A big number of Qataris travel to Kyrgyzstan. By displaying this traditional ‘house’ of nomadic Kyrgyzstan people, we hope more Qatari people will visit our country and share the culture,” he added.
The falcon, and its use in hunting, not only attracts people from around the world, but also helps break boundaries, too!
Katie Ruth Davies