JEDDAH: The prestigious King Abdul Aziz Festival of Falconry on Sunday ended in the town of Malham, near Riyadh.
The event, organized by the Saudi Falcons Club, has attracted thousands of enthusiasts from throughout the Middle East and around the world, with many competing for prizes totaling SR17.6 million ($4.7 million).
As well as falcon races and a beauty contest for the birds of prey, visitors to the festival have been able to enjoy exhibitions, theater entertainment and residential camps.
A heritage museum set up on the festival site used interactive displays to explain the history of falconry and its key place in Saudi culture. Traditional techniques for the training, hunting and breeding of falcons were also highlighted.
Other attractions at the festival, which opened on Jan. 25, included displays of pottery, sculptures, wood engravings, miniature coffee pots and an exhibit on the ancient art of rope making. The industrial history of Arabic calligraphy painting, tanning and leather production also came under the spotlight.
Falcon breeding is an ancient hobby in the Arabian Peninsula, and has spread from Central Asia to Europe. Popular among nobles, falcon breeding played a major role in diplomacy during the Middle Ages. Arab falcon breeding countries adopt similar breeding and training techniques, except for some specific details.
Saudi falconry festival draws to a close
Saudi falconry festival draws to a close
- A heritage museum set up on the festival site used interactive displays to explain the history of falconry and its key place in Saudi culture
Rainfed agriculture booms 1,100% under Saudi rural development initiative
- It is one of eight agricultural segments receiving program support
RIYADH: The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, known as Saudi Reef, has announced exceptional growth in its rainfed crops sector, one of eight agricultural segments receiving program support, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The sector has registered extraordinary expansion, surpassing 1,100 percent, with participant numbers climbing to over 13,300 beneficiaries nationwide.
Program spokesman Majed Al-Buraikan identified rainfed agriculture as a cornerstone of Saudi Reef’s achievements, highlighting its role in boosting production efficiency, bolstering food security and self-reliance, enabling sustainable farming in water-scarce regions, and raising income levels and quality of life for smallholder farmers — all consistent with Vision 2030 priorities.
Al-Buraikan outlined the program’s principal aims, including broadening the agricultural production foundation, securing food independence across multiple crop categories, enhancing smallholder farmer prosperity and employment prospects to foster social cohesion, and safeguarding environmental and natural resources throughout rural Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Reef extends support and technical assistance across eight distinct sectors: honey production, fruit cultivation, coffee production, rose farming, rainfed crops, livestock raising, artisanal fishing, and value-added agricultural products.
