News Date:Sunday, 17 December 2017

The Cultural Village Foundation- Katara is poised to launch the first edition of Katara International Hunting and Falcon Exhibition "S’hail 2017" on Wednesday, the 20th of September


with many local, Arab and international participants: 54 from Qatar; 15 from Kuwait; 5 from Spain; 4 from Pakistan; 3 from Germany; and one from the US, England, France, South Africa, Azerbaijan and Lebanon. Participants include suppliers of hunting vehicles, tools, equipment and falcon-related entities.      

Commenting about the exhibition, the General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara and Chairman of the International Hunting and Falcon Exhibition Organizing Committee, H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, declared; "The exhibition has been named S'hail; which is a star that is traditionally known for being closely linked to the hunting seasons. Traditional names are not new for Katara events as, Katara always opts for traditional names for its festivals and competitions such as, El-Meyna and Al-Habbal competitions, Senyar Championship for fishing and pearl diving, Marmi Festival and Al Galayel competition."

"By this common practice, Katara aims to highlight the cultural heritage in Qatar and the wider region and help combine tradition and modernity in our creative efforts to build bridges with our heritage, on one hand, and with the world on the other. Such creative efforts would enrich the cultural process which will hopefully keep expanding, evolving, growing and thriving", Katara's Chief added.                

Extending special thanks to the sponsors of this first edition; Qatar National Bank (the Saker Sponsor), Ooredoo (Gyr Sponsor) and Qatar Airways, the official carrier, he said that the sponsors have been classified and named after the most important falcon species used in the hunting ground in Qatar and the GCC states. The saker sponsor is the top category followed by the peregrine sponsor and gyr sponsor.  

Dr. Al-Sulaiti praised several entities for their participation and effective presence in Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition; most notably, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, General Authority of Customs, Al Galayl and Marmi competitions, Qatari Society of Al Gannas, Qatar Shooting and Archery Association, Al Rami Sports Club, Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital, Qatar Fine Arts Association, Simaisma Youth Center and Librtha Heritage Center.

A Diverse-Array of Activities and Events

Seeking to bring hunting ground atmospheres to its audience, Katara has tried to turn into a scale model for hunting and falconry environment throughout the exhibition days. It has prepared traditional sessions that are reminiscent of those held in the desert in addition to a variety of unique events and activities.

Through the exhibition, visitors will be introduced to different falcon species with more than 400 falcons coming from 3 local farms as well as 9 foreign breeding farms from Spain, Germany, France and Russia.

The exhibition will also feature several falcon veterinary clinics, including; Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital which will conduct the necessary tests for falcons to be bought in the exhibition.

The Ministry of Interior will be one of the distinguished participants at the exhibition as an office will be implemented in the scheduled venue to raise awareness amongst the attendants of all matters related to purchasing and using hunting weapons and observing safety guidelines and all the services offered by the ministry in this regard. The Ministry of Municipality and Environment will participate in the exhibition through two offices: one for issuing falcon passports and health card and the other for displaying houbara bustards in addition to other ministry exhibits.

The organizing committee has been keen to host the world's best hunting arms companies to exhibit different kinds of arms (long-range shotgun/ medium-range shotgun/ short-range shotgun/ air gun) and all the weapon accessories such as telescopes, spare parts, and hunting gear.

The audience will be in for an interesting experience to live the exciting atmosphere of the hunting arena through simulated shooting and air gun event as a part of the participation of Qatar Shooting and Archery Association and Al Rami Sports Club.

Visitors will also enjoy discounts up to 15% at all Katara restaurants throughout the exhibition. The exhibition will feature special restaurants for barbecuing the catch including deer, pigeons, etc. The exhibition visitors will receive substantial discounts from Qatar Airways in addition to many other generous offers.

The exhibition will welcome many international hunting-related brands that cover areas such as camping gear, hunting arms and tools, and safaris which will be offered at significant discounts.

The exhibition will feature cultural stands from several countries including; Morocco, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. These countries will introduce the exhibition visitors to its cultural heritage in hunting and falconry displaying many exhibits such as hunting clothes and tools.

In addition, several old hunting vehicles will be displayed to give the audience a close picture of the hunting arena in the past.

Underlining the role of arts in promoting heritage, the exhibition will host 15 fine artists who will paint, at the site, a portrait of the hunting environment conveying the atmospheres of the hunting arena to the audience through beautiful and expressive pictures. The artists will be offered an opportunity to display paintings they have drawn before about hunting environment.   

S'hail 2017 is one of the biggest international falcon exhibitions and has several events and activities including: falcon auction and falcon and hunting exhibitions. Furthermore, the exhibition provides a special stand for handicrafts related to hunting and falcon-related supplies.