S'hail brings a time-honoured heritage to the public

Qatar has played a significant role in safeguarding the heritage of falconry, both domestically and internationally. Their dedication culminated in Unesco recognizing falconry as a living human heritage on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. This achievement was a result of Qatar's ongoing efforts, including the staging of the Katara International Hunting and Falconry Exhibition (S hail 2026), which has showcased the country's commitment to preserving this unique heritage.

Ali bin Khatam al-Mahshadi, chairman of the Qatar Society of Al Gannas, explained the society's involvement in the exhibition. As a specialized entity focusing on hunting sports and falconry, the society felt obligated to participate and contribute to the preservation of this heritage. The Qatari Falconry Archive, established by the society in 2008, documents the history of hunting and falconry, as well as the experiences of veteran falconers in Qatar.

The archive collects various materials, including books, documents, manuscripts, photographs, and visual recordings, while also preserving oral histories associated with this Qatari tradition.

During the S hail 2026 exhibition, the society proudly displayed two rare falcons - Nomas, 29 years old, and Katara, less than a year old. Katara's hatching inside a Doha high-rise building marked a rare and unique event. The society has also made groundbreaking advances in falcon genomics. In 2021, their Qatar Falcon Genome Project analyzed genetic maps of falcon species and developed an accurate genetic test to identify falcon lineages and detect hybridization among captive-bred falcons.

This discovery solidified Qatar's position as a global leader in conserving and preserving falconry.

In addition to their exhibition success, the Qatar Society of Al Gannas has expanded its impact on falconry globally. They organized an international conference on falcon veterinary medicine and offered veterinary training courses to falconers from East Asian countries. By supporting a falcon-tracking device through the World Ethnosport Union in 2017, the society contributed to monitoring falcon migration patterns.

The society's chairman was elected to the World Ethnosport Union's board of directors in 2022, and in 2024, they joined the International Federation for Falconry Sports & Racing (IFFSR). In the Masters rounds of the 2026 competition, the society secured third place, and their team claimed the World Champion title in the Gyr falcon chick category, setting a new world record with a time of 17.085 seconds.