Calling on all falcon lovers! Qatar’s biggest falcon festival kicked off at Sealine, so make sure to head over before the end of January.

In a staggering record, 22 majestic falconers have qualified so far for the country’s much-awaited Marmi Festival for this year.

Th Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival, sponsored by Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani and organised by Al Gannas Association, saw a rise in the number of competitors who qualified for the Al Talaa and Hadad Al-Tahadi Championships.

One of the region’s biggest hunting and falconry events kicked off at Mesaieed (Sealine), earlier this month, shedding light onto culture, sports, and heritage.

The month-long event includes falcon competitions for adult and younger falcons and features beautiful birds from all around the world.

On Wednesday morning, falconers Shaheen Salem Al Dosari from Group 18 and Rashid Omar Ahmed Al Hamidi from Group 20 qualified for the Al Talaa Championship competitions for groups 18 to 23, bringing the total number of qualifiers in the Al Talaa Championship to 10.

The ecstatic Hadad Al-Tahadi Championship began for group D in the evening, with six competitors qualifying in front of an impressive crowd of citizens, residents, and visitors who are currently in Qatar.

The unique event attracts dozens of contestants across the Gulf region annually to take part in ‘unusual’ speed and prey hunting competitions to bag a big cash prize, as well as the prestigious title.

The United Arab Emirates, which confirmed that a festival is an important event for gulf falconers because it brings together sizeable gatherings of professional falconers, are among the many nations to participate in this year’s event.

This year, the festival has five different Visual Acuity, including Adult Saker; Pigeon Chasing: Juvenile Peregrine; Al Da’u; Promising Falconer and Young Falconer; Saluki Racing, Hadad Al Tahaddi, and Al Mazzain.