The King Abdulaziz Falcon Festival 2023 commenced today, Tuesday, amidst the participation of a selection of falcon owners from the Kingdom, the Gulf, and around the world, at the Saudi Falcon Club in Mulhum, north of Riyadh. The official spokesman for the Saudi Falcon Club, Walid Al-Tawil, stated in a press release to the Saudi Press Agency that the festival will continue until December 14, featuring the largest falconry competition in the world. He noted that it will operate continuously to elevate its various events, witnessing ongoing development and support for falconers each year. He highlighted that the total prizes for the winners of the King Abdulaziz Falcon Festival 2023 exceed 33.6 million riyals, awarded to winners of the "Malwah" and "Mazayen" competitions, both Saudi and international.
Regarding new features this year, he explained that several new heats were introduced in the "Malwah" competition, alongside crowning a greater number of winners in its heats, to encourage falconers to participate and compete for the titles of the heats named after the "King Abdulaziz Cup" in each category, as well as "King's Sword" heats that gather the elite. He noted that the Saudi Falcon Club has increased the number of positions eligible for awards in the local production heat of the "Malwah" competition to 20 winners, up from awarding the top five positions previously. Additionally, a heat for falcons in the "International Falcon Farm Auction" was added to the same competition, granting prizes to the top ten positions in heats dedicated to international participants, instead of the top three positions, along with an added heat in the "Mazayen" competition for the "Gyr Pure Qarnass" category specifically for Saudis.
The festival features eight heats in the "Mazayen" competition; three for the "Fark" category (locally produced Hur, Hur from Hur, and Gyr Pure), while five heats are designated for the Qarnass (Hur from Hur, Hur Qarnass, Hur Black Adhem, Gyr Pure for Saudis, and Houbara Shaheen). The first place winner will receive 300,000 riyals, followed by 200,000 riyals for second place, and 100,000 riyals for third place.
It is noteworthy that the King Abdulaziz Falcon Festival consists of the "Mazayen" competitions that focus on the most beautiful falcons according to specific criteria set by an expert judging committee, as well as the "Malwah" competition or "Dawu," which takes place over a distance of 400 meters and includes heats for professionals, open owners, and Saudi owners, in addition to heats for international participants. The King Abdulaziz Falcon Festival has achieved remarkable numbers since its inception; in its first edition, it entered the Guinness World Records as the largest falcon competition in the world with 1,723 participating falcons. In the second edition in 2019, it entered the Guinness World Records for the second time after 2,350 falcons participated.
