UAE | Heritage and Culture
Mongols, Kazakhs display their skills
Combined team perform on horseback to showcase traditional sport and hobby
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 December 14, 2011
Al Ain: It was a rare scene at the falconry festival as a horse-mounted Mongol sprinted across the Arabian desert with a mighty brown eagle perched on his wrist.
It looked like a Hollywood movie scene but in reality a Mongol-Kazakh team was demonstrating their skills with the bird at the festival. A team of six eagle hunters from Mongolia and Kazakhstan has been attending the festival.
Eagle Hunting is a highly acclaimed activity in the mountains of Mongolia. Their counterparts in Kazakhstan are known for hunting on horseback with golden eagles. For both the Mongols and Kazakhs, hunting rabbits and wolves was an attractive activity to get their fur for clothing in the freezing cold of snowy mountains.
Narbek Khasim, a Mongol participant of the festival, said: "Hunting with eagles is an ancient sport in our countries." Falconry and eagle hunting is centuries old in Central Asia and people still practise it as a tradition and as a hobby.
Different techniques
Kazakhs use female eagles for hunting as they are larger than males and train them through different techniques. The team has not brought their golden eagles with them due to international restrictions on the transportation of falcons and eagles. "Our hosts [the festival organisers] have provided us eagles for practice and demonstration," he said.
"We are excited to be here," said Khasim who was wearing a traditional dress. He was feeling a little discomfort in the heart of Arabian desert in his warm dress, usually used in Mongolia's extreme cold. "We have been showing our traditions and culture to the visitors along with the skills with the eagles," he said, noting that a little discomfort in the hot desert is nothing from him. Khasim and his colleagues were meeting with the falconers of other cultures and shared their experience and knowledge with them.
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