The current edition of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025 , the largest event of its kind in the world, organized by the Saudi Falcons Club at its headquarters in Mulham (north of Riyadh), continued its activities. Tuesday evening witnessed fierce competition on the second day of the "Beauty Contest," one of the festival's most important pillars, where elite falcons compete for titles of beauty and excellence in their characteristics.
Cultural heritage and global reach
The organization of these competitions stems from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's commitment to preserving the falconry heritage, which is an integral part of the region's cultural and historical identity. The festival's role extends beyond mere competition; it serves as an international platform that brings together falconers from around the world, reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a leading global destination for this human heritage, which is inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. These events contribute to passing on this time-honored tradition to future generations with high professional and organizational standards.
New categories and strong competition
In a move reflecting the festival's ongoing development, this year's competitions saw the inclusion of "Mongolian" falcons for the first time in the beauty contests, adding a unique element of challenge and diversity. The winning falcons were crowned in three main rounds, which were characterized by wide participation and dazzling displays of beauty that captivated the judging panel and the audience.
Round results and overwhelming victory
The results of the first round, dedicated to the category (Free Young/Expatriate Mongolian), resulted in a clear dominance by the falconer Salman Al Abdulghani, whose falcons deservedly took the top three places; the falcon “Sultan” achieved first place, followed by “Aliyan” in second place, and “Shaqran” in third place, while the falcon “Shadeed” belonging to its owner Abdulaziz Al Jalban came in fourth place.
The Al Abdulghani family continued their brilliance in the second round of the (Free Young/Granded Mongolian) category, where they won four advanced positions; their falcon “Mulhim” came in first, “Arab” as runner-up, “Ramz” in third, and “H1” in fifth, while the falcon “Aqab” belonging to its owner Salman Al Balushi managed to snatch the fourth position.
As for the third round, which was dedicated to the category of (Free Falcon Chick Local Production), the falcon “Waddah” owned by Hamid Al Mansouri was crowned in first place, the falcon “Al Zaam” came in second, “Samou” owned by Hamad Al Qahtani came in third, “Najd” owned by Zayed Al Qahtani came in fourth, and “Dhahab” owned by Badr Al Aradi came in fifth.
Huge financial prizes and support for the economy
The festival organizers have allocated substantial cash prizes for the winners of the beauty contests. The first-place winner will receive 300,000 riyals, the second 175,000 riyals, the third 100,000 riyals, the fourth 30,000 riyals, and the fifth 20,000 riyals. The total prize money for the festival's two competitions—the falconry contest and the beauty contest—exceeds 38 million riyals, reflecting the significant economic impact of this event and its role in stimulating the buying and selling of falcons and supporting investment in this vital sector.
