RIYADH: A display at the Saudi International Falcons and Hunting Exhibition 2026 is tracing the royal family’s long relationship with falconry, a pastime deeply rooted in Saudi culture, through rare photographs and historic artifacts spanning decades.
The “Shalayel” display opens with the founder, King Abdulaziz, and includes his falcon’s perch, a photo of him with companions at his camp near Riyadh, and a 1938 picture of his falconers holding their birds.
A 1956 photograph shows King Saud with a falcon on his hand. Two images document King Faisal’s interest in the birds, one of him in his majlis with a falcon before him and another from 1972 with notes on his interest in rare falcons.
King Khalid appears in a 1976 photo from a hunting trip in Pakistan, one of several rare images, some shown publicly for the first time. The display also includes belongings of King Fahd and photos of him carrying a falcon on trips in northern Saudi Arabia and near Riyadh.
King Abdullah is pictured, while still a prince, holding his falcon on a hunting trip inside the Kingdom. For King Salman, the museum shows photos, a perch for his falcon and background on his connection to falconry and hunting since childhood.
The collection goes beyond the royal family. It features historic photos of princes and falconers from different regions, along with pictures of Riyadh’s falcon market in the 1970s and in 1985, highlighting how falconry knowledge has passed between generations.
The exhibition, organized by the National Center for Falcons under the slogan “A Destination for Everyone,” runs through Oct. 10 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Malham, north of Riyadh. The photos and artifacts record part of Saudi falconry’s history and show how the tradition has passed through generations, remaining a lasting part of the Kingdom’s social life and memory.
This article was first published in Akhbaar 24.
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