The Arabs gave many names to falcons and interpreted their meanings. It is said that a falcon is free, and it is the one that is free. It is said about something that it is free as an attribute, meaning that it is pure, evidence and a metaphor for authenticity, such as when we say free gold, which means pure gold.
The peregrine falcon is a bird of prey from the falcon family. It is said that a person is a peregrine falcon, meaning that he is strong, very powerful, and very ferocious in pouncing and fighting, while the lime falcon got its name from the lime rock, which is characterized by hardness and strength, and is called steel rock because of its extreme hardness.
The Arabs say “Saqr al-Wakri,” which refers to the bird’s nest or the house in which it lays eggs and spawns, regardless of the location of the den. It may be on the slope of a mountain or on top of a tree. It also refers to a cave, grotto, or any other suspicious dwelling, which may be sought for the purpose of concealing a crime committed and pursued. As for Saqr Al-Baz, he is the victor who takes the rights of others by force, openly and secretly, without justification.
Falcons are classified into three main groups: the small-sized hawk group, which lives in the ancient world, and is characterized by the fact that males are more colorful than females; Which makes it easy to distinguish between the sexes, and hawks feed on birds, small mammals, and large insects, and the Shuwaihin group, which includes relatively large falcons, whose main food consists of small birds, and is characterized by its black cheeks and the emergence of a dark gray color in its feathers, and the peregrine falcon group, which is characterized by strength and speed.
Falcons are divided into three categories according to age. Small falcons feed mostly on vertebrates and invertebrates such as rodents, reptiles, and insects. They are usually stocky, while medium-aged falcons feed on small birds. They are more elegant than small and large falcons, which feed on medium-sized birds, such as the cat hawk.
Falcons are distinguished by their tremendous ability to catch prey, whether flying in the air or moving on the ground. They have keen eyesight that helps them determine the locations of prey with very high accuracy, as well as their ability to change directions quickly during flight so that they can maneuver around flying prey and then catch it. Therefore, humans exploited this feature and used the falcon in hunting It is said that the one who started this work was Al-Harith bin Muawiyah bin Thawr Al-Kindi, who was watching a hunter who set a trap to catch birds. A falcon pounced on a bird and ate it. Al-Harith took this falcon and put it in a special house. He took care of it, fed it, and trained it to hunt. Then he took it with him on one of the hunting trips. While he was with him, the falcon saw a rabbit, so it pounced on it and hunted it. Here, Al-Harith loved it. After that, the Arabs began to use falcons for hunting There are those who say that the Persian kings were the first to use falcons for hunting.
“Saqara” is part of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO has included the falconry profession on the List of Intangible World Heritage.
She explained that raising falcons has become associated with a spirit of friendship and sharing, rather than considering it a source of livelihood. It is mainly concentrated along migration lines and corridors. It is practiced by people of all ages, men or women, amateurs or professionals. Falcon breeders also develop a strong relationship and spiritual bond with their birds.
She pointed out that raising falcons is passed down from generation to generation, as breeders take their children with them when they go out hunting to train them to control the bird and establish a relationship of trust with it. The UNESCO website also states that falconry is the basis for a broader cultural heritage, including traditional costumes, food, songs, music, poetry and dance.
Falconry is defined as a method of hunting game using a bird of prey such as a falcon, trained by a person known as a falconer who has the skill to utilize the bird’s hunting ability and train it to hunt for the benefit of humans. This bird can be a falcon, a goshawk, or an eagle. Although the nature of falconry is the same, its methods differ from one place to another depending on the laws of the country in force and the type of bird of prey used The nature of the terrain in the area in which it is practiced.
Falconry requires a lot of time and skill to train the bird of prey to fly freely, hunt for humans, and accept returning to the cage. The falconer needs to learn how to care for the bird, feed it, treat the health problems it may suffer from, know its characteristics, and the stages of its life. He must also know the laws and rules related to hunting using falcons in the area where the hunting is to be done.
Falconry is a rare sport, although it is practiced all over the world. It is most widespread in Britain, the United States, Central Asia, India, Pakistan, and many Gulf countries, such as the Kingdom and the Emirates.