Mohammed Mubarak Al Ali
Doha, Qatar: The Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival “Marmi” attaches great importance to consolidating the heritage of falconry as an integral part of Qatar’s popular heritage, in addition to its status as a global legacy since it was inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011, thanks to the efforts of the State of Qatar along with a number of Arab and foreign countries.
Since its launch in 2010, the festival has been keen in every edition to engage children and young people in the atmosphere of its events through competitions and championships dedicated to them.
This has helped build an early connection between younger generations and their heritage. Initially, the festival included two main competitions: the Young Falconer competition, which consists of simplified educational programmes explaining the basics of falconry, methods of caring for falcons, their types, and the tools used; and the Promising Falconer competition, which moves from introducing this heritage to its practical application by young participants.
The Promising Falconer competition is designated for the age group from 5 to 16 years and takes the form of a Da’w (lure) competition over a distance of 200 meters, in accordance with specific conditions for the falcon, including that its size does not exceed 15 inches. The competition features two categories: the first includes Kubaj, Qarmousha, and Wokri falcons, while the second includes Taba’ and Jebiliya (Shaheen) falcons.
Commenting on the festival’s commitment to passing this heritage on to future generations, Chairman of the Committees and Official Spokesman for the Marmi Festival, Mohammed Mubarak Al Ali told to QNA that the festival is keen to promote and entrench this popular heritage in the consciousness of young people.
He noted that in its early stages, the festival featured two competitions for children: the educational Young Falconer competition, which focused on knowledge-based competition about falcons, and the Promising Falconer competition.
He added that, after the festival’s legacy has grown over the years and with the festival reaching its 17th edition this year, organisers decided to shift children toward practical application in the Promising Falconer Championship, as the Young Falconer competition had fulfilled its role in introducing children to this heritage. “Today, they are practicing falconry in reality, which confirms that the festival has successfully transferred this heritage across generations throughout its history,” he said.
The official spokesman also pointed out that children who once participated in these competitions have now become youths and men and have moved on to professional-level competitions such as Talla’, Da’w, and Haddad Al-Tahaddi championships, underscoring the festival’s success in achieving its objectives of preserving Qatar’s popular heritage.
For his part, Saad Ali Al Muhannadi, a falconry heritage expert and member of the Promising Falconer Committee at the Marmi Festival, said in similar remarks to QNA that falconry represents one of the most prominent authentic Qatari heritages passed down from fathers and grandfathers to sons generation after generation. He stressed that preserving this heritage and transmitting it to new generations is a shared responsibility and a national duty.
