Saudi-bred falcon sold for $72,000 in international auction

The rare Saudi falcon goes on display (SPA)

By Habib Toumi
RIYADH: A rare falcon was sold at a record $71,994 (270,000 Saudi riyals) during an auction in Saudi Arabia.

The International Falcon Breeders Auction (IFBA) said the auctioned falcon was the most expensive bred by Saudi breeders.

The falcon, bred at Al Aradi’s Farm in Saudi Arabia, weighs 1,105 grams and is 17 and a half inches long and 16 and three quarters inches wide, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Moteb Al Ayafi, the Saudi falconer who bought the falcon, said he would name it “Raghwan” and that he would participate in a competition for local breeding, the “falcon beauty pageant”, where the top prize for the most beautiful falcon is SR 300,000. He will also compete in the fourth edition of King Abdul Aziz Falconry Festival, the largest event of its kind that has set a world record in the Guinness World Records with the participation of 2,350 falcons. The event is attended by thousands of enthusiasts and elite falconers from across Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region and the world.

Moteb said that passion for falconry is a family legacy and tradition.

During the falcom auction in Riyadh (SPA)

The IFBA that began on August 5 in the Saudi capital Riyadh amid a wide local and international participation of falconers, producers and enthusiasts highlights the evolution of the process of falcon production that takes place in specialized farms where various types interbreed and produce species bearing distinctive specifications.

Falconry is an important part of the cultural heritage in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. Inscriptions found in the region hshow hat the people of the Arabian Peninsula domesticated falcons thousands of years ago.