RIYADH: The digital museum at the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, hosted by the Saudi Falcons Club until Dec. 19 at the club’s headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh, offers enriching information about falcons in both Arabic and English.
The museum, an integrated electronic platform at the festival, presents details about falcons, including species, key characteristics, and anatomy, with a focus on gyr, peregrine, lanner, and saker falcons, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Another section delves into the peregrine falcon, highlighting its subtypes, such as tundra and highland peregrines, as well as their habitats and traits.
Visitors are taken on a journey through falconry’s history, with a section titled “Women in Falconry,” which explores notable figures like Eleanor of Arborea, a Spanish heroine and judge who pioneered laws protecting birds, including falcons, and the legal protection of falcon nests from hunting.
The museum recounts the stories behind the bird’s association with rulers including Queen Elizabeth I; Queen Christina of Sweden; Mary, Queen of Scots; Queen Sophie Amalie of Denmark and Norway; and Catherine the Great of Russia.
It also tells the tale of Chand Bibi, the sultana of Bijapur in India, whose love for falcons is immortalized in art.
