Emirates Falconers’ Club, together with New York University Abu Dhabi and the International Fund of Houbara Conservation saw the official opening of the one of a kind falconry conference entitled Raptor and Falconry Depictions Throughout The Millennia on a Global Scale today at the New York University Abu Dhabi Conference Center. Among those in attendance were the world’s most esteemed professors, falconry experts, and selected members of each organization.

The conference, which is set to run until 8 March, commenced with a welcome speech by H.E. Majed Al Mansouri, Executive Director of Emirates Falconers’ Club. He said, “We are pleased to welcome today distinguished scientists from different countries, where various schools of falconry originated from Northernmost to Central and Southern Europe, in Central, Eastern and Northern Asia, from Mongolia, China, Japan to the Arab region, Australia and The Americas at this first research fellowship conference on history and cultural heritage of falconry under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.”

Al Mansouri further said, “This is an extraordinary year for us in the United Arab Emirates, marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. His vision was to preserve the balance between culture, environment, and economic and social development. The challenges posed by rapid development and urbanization to our heritage and national identity, have laid the foundations for today's building of our present and future without compromising our culture and traditions.”

 “Our strategy to preserve falconry heritage is based on cooperation and joint actions for sustainability of natural and heritage resources.  We adhere to our traditions of educating future generations on principles and values of human well-being and responsible management of natural resources. Our efforts are directed on establishment of sustainable practices and ensuring the balance among different species of raptors and quarries,” he continued.

In his speech, Al Mansouri highlighted UNESCO’s recognition of falconry as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity which has strengthened the role of local and international falconry organizations, universities and research centers in its pursuit to explore falconry’s history and in documenting the effects of falconry in the progress of science, knowledge and arts in different places and ages.

Al Mansouri also discussed Emirates Falconers’ Club’s collaborative program with New York University Abu Dhabi and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation. He explained, “We are meeting with this constellation of scientists and specialists to celebrate their participation in the joint program by New York University Abu Dhabi, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and the Emirates Falconers’ Club. Their project of creating the falconry archive in the Middle East aims to raise awareness on this heritage and to deepen sustainability and passion. Such approach reflects the very essence of the definition of falconry as a traditional practice that brings together people from different cultures and social backgrounds, promoting cooperation, peace and acceptance of the other, and identifying the elements that unite different groups, races and cultures.”

He added, “The scientific papers that will be discussed at this conference will form an integrated scientific work aimed at verifying and linking the past and the present, in particular the old falconry practices and the associated knowledge and artistic heritage documented in the literature from the 8th to 13th centuries, as well as current and associated knowledge around the world.”

Falconry, also known as the art of hunting, is recognized by UNESCO as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The practice is known to play an integral role in connecting each culture’s traditions with their natural environment, leaving different traces such as imagery which links the past with the present practice.

The falconry conference witnesses presentations of the critical understanding of raptor and falconry depictions from both older archaeological and younger art historical times such as the showcase of bird images including cave and rock art by Professor Erdenebat Ulambayar (Mongolia) and Dr. Maria Lazarich Gonzalez (Spain). Falconry images from the Arab region are also addressed in detailed lectures by Doctor Verena Daiber (Germany) and Doctor Magdalena Valor (Spain), while Professor Baudouin Van den Abeele (Belgium) will tackle the collection of European falconry images post 1000 CE.

The conference goes further into the background of bird and falconry imagery through a lecture on the biology of the birds of prey by Professor Anita Gamauf (Austria), as well as the religious role of birds in the archaeological periods to be discussed Professor Dr. Alan Warburton (China).

Emirates Falconers’ Club, together with the New York University and the International Fund of Houbara Conservation has created this specialized conference to serve as a platform that studies and discusses falconry, its history and the integral role that Arab countries play in upholding, disseminating and reviving falconry traditions.

The research and studies that will be presented and discussed during the three-day event will be used in the creation of an upcoming book on the history and cultural heritage of falconry. A total of over 50 selected drafts will be reviewed and edited to be a part of the book.

The organizers said, “The Falconry program will run for a period of two years with the help of a selection of authors and experts in preparation for the drafting and editing of the book which will be entitled The Global Photography of Saqqara, from 3000 BC to the present era. This will include more than 50 articles by international experts which will tackle the different disciplines including archaeology, anthropology, cultural and art history and media studies.”

The drafting process will be led by Germany’s Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeological Center Senior Researcher Dr. Oliver Grimm who will serve as the first editor of the book, to be assisted by an editorial advisory board that consists of representatives of the university, Emirates Falconers’ Club and the International Fund of the Houbara Conservation. Dr. Anne-Lise Tropato, Program Coordinator and Editorial Assistant of the Humanities Research Fellowship Program will oversee the inclusion of photo collections, acquisition of copyrights, and the creation of an annotated image database for falconry. Access to the database will be open to scientists and the public for viewing.