When falcons gather to compete for a Bentley

The Fakhr Al Ajyal Championship has attained a high standard and the prizes are added attractions. - Supplied photo

 The Fakhr Al Ajyal ('Pride of the Generation') Championship for Falconry Telwah began in Dubai on Monday in Al Ruwayyah area, supervised by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre (HHC).
The participating Shaikhs competed in the first four of 12 categories: the 'Qarmoosha Farkh', 'Qarmoosha Jernaas', 'Jeer Tibha Farkh' and 'Jeer Tibha Jernaas'. The competition in these categories will last through February 7.
The top 10 birds in each classification will qualify for the Telwah Final on February 9, from which the five fastest falcons will make it to the two Super Finals to be held two days later. The quickest 'Farkh' and 'Jernaas" super finalists will win Dh500,000 and a top-of-the-line Bentley. The same qualification procedure will be repeated across the other falconry categories for the Shaikhs and the general public over the next six days.
"Having attained a very high standard at the prior tournament last month, we now want to bring together the very best of the best to determine a clear champion of champions in the 'Farkh' and 'Jernaas' categories for this 2016 season here in the UAE," said Souad Ibrahim Darwish, HHC Director of Championships.
"We believe these two super finals - and the prizes associated with them - have captured the imagination of participating falconers competing here and this tournament underlines the UAE's status as the foremost frontrunner in falconry worldwide," he added.
Among the onlookers on Monday was Jeff Rossey, a falcon breeder from Washington State in the United States.
"This is very competitive. The distance from getting the number one slot compared to the number two slot might be just about what it takes you to blink. These birds are like athletes in peak condition," he said. "It does make you go home and re-think and wonder how you can take your programme up to the next notch because this is a whole lot more competitive than just taking your falcon out and catching a duck or a pheasant. It's more time-sensitive and all of these guys want that number one spot very badly. Nobody wants second place."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai