In a clear blue sky a hawk circles, its keen eyes seeking out prey in the dunes and scrub of the desert floor below.
The sight is one that has not changed for centuries, because, with the cooler months arriving, thoughts in the Emirates turn to hunting with falcons.
Generations of Emiratis have bonded with the falcon, a Bedouin tradition embedded in the country’s cultural heritage.
But if the essence of falconry remains the same, the sport has changed beyond recognition in the past 50 years.
Saved from extinction
Captive breeding, artificial insemination, blood lines and even hawk passports are now central to the world of falconry. Birds that sweep through the skies over Arabia and Pakistan are as likely as not to have first tested their wings thousands of kilometres away, to be sold sometimes for thousands of dirhams.
As unromantic as this view of 21st-century falconry might seem, it has also helped to save nature’s ultimate aerial predator from near extinction in Europe in the 1960s.
“It was falconers who first noticed the decline in wild populations,” says Mark Upton, general secretary of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF).
“Environmental issues and pesticides in farming were killing them off wholesale. In Germany, the peregrine falcon had become extinct.”
Anyone with a knowledge of falconry, and particularly in the UAE, will know the surname Upton.
Mark’s father, Roger Upton, was a passionate chronicler of falconry and the author of several definitive books on the subject. In the 1960s he travelled to Abu Dhabi, where he became a close friend of Sheikh Zayed, hunting with him.
In 2017, the year of his death at 80, he was awarded a posthumous Abu Dhabi award, cited for preserving “an essential Bedouin custom that is not only a craft or a sport but a way of life that bridges cultural divides between Arab and western falconers”.
Rescuing the species
Mark remembers Sheikh Zayed visiting his father in the UK when he was five and visiting Abu Dhabi in 1976. Now a well-known artist specialising in wildlife, he breeds a small number of birds for family and friends and has now passed the family love of falconry to his own children.
It was falconers in Europe, with the support of men such as Sheikh Zayed, who rescued the population, he says.
Awareness of the loss of wild hawks means populations in Europe are now back at record levels. The IAF works in other countries, including Central Asia, another important breeding ground, to support conservation.
The organisation has strong links with the UAE, working with the Emirates Falconers Club, with Majid Al Mansouri, founder of the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, as its president.
What really transformed the modern world of falconry, though, was a breakthrough in captive breeding in the early 1970s.
Before then, all falcons were captured as young birds in the wild. In Arabia, where falcons are winter migrants, “they would trap them, train them fast and then release them back in the wild”, Mark says.
This method actually improved the birds' chances of survival, improving their hunting skills and ensuring a good supply of food. “In the wild, 70 per cent to 80 per cent of birds die in their first year,” he says.
Hawks are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity and the skill needed to capture and train wild birds meant it was a niche sport. In the UK in the 1960s there were perhaps only 100 members of the British Falconers Club, and not all of them owned birds.
The Americans cracked captive breeding first, followed by Europe in the mid 1970s. Artificial insemination is one technique used, but many birds are hatched naturally.
Boom in the Middle East
Falcons breed only once a year, in the spring, prompted by the lengthening days, although it is possible to produce a second clutch of eggs by removing and incubating the first.
Chicks born in captivity are far more likely to survive than in the wild, and the birds are easier to train from birth. Captive breeding also takes the pressure off wild populations.
With birds becoming available for sale in greater numbers, there was a boom in the popularity of falconry, and no more so than the Middle East and the countries of the Arabian Gulf.
Coincidentally, the 1970s were also a time when oil revenues were transforming the fortunes of the Gulf Arabs.
Enjoying money and leisure for the first time, Emiratis could reconnect with a Bedouin culture that transformed hunting with hawks, once an essential source of meat in a harsh desert environment, into an enjoyable sport.
Demand from the Gulf means falcon breeding has become a thriving business. Prices for a single bird start at about £2,000 (Dh8.300, about $2,240) but size, looks and even blood lines can push this much higher.
Still, says Mark Upton, “high prices of hundreds of thousands are very unusual”.
More common is some Gulf Arabs buying 20 or 30 birds at a time as gifts for their friends. A hunting camp in the UAE might have as many 100 birds taking part.
Strict conservation
The interest and popularity of falconry goes hand in hand with strict conservation rules designed to prevent birds being snatched in the wild.
Each bird is issued with individual papers to prove it has been bred in captivity under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna.
Without this “falcon passport” it cannot cross international borders or enter the UAE.
The IAF, which now has members in 86 countries, plays a wider role in supporting conservation. The houbara bustard, a chicken-sized bird and desert prey for falcons, also suffered huge population decline by the turn of the century, the result of habitat loss and hunting with guns.
In 2006, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation began a breeding programme that has led to tens of thousands of birds being reintroduced in the wild, including the UAE, North Africa and Pakistan.
And while the falcon is no longer endangered in Europe, dangers still exist elsewhere in the world. Power lines were estimated to be electrocuting up to 4,000 saker falcons a year in Mongolia as well as numerous other birds of prey, including eagles.
Power lines, described by the IAF as “24/7 killing machines”, can be neutralised with a simple and inexpensive insulator.
To thrive and survive, falcons, it seems, still need the help of mankind, an even more deadly predator.
Adihex 2022 – in pictures
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
