ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on continuities and fundamental changes in falconry, its iconic status and the related narrative of a vital link to nature. The term falcon is used here for a variety of birds of prey, irrespective of their ornithological differences. The main ecological devastations are caused when hunting parties misuse their economic power and prominent contacts to gain irresponsible hunting privileges. The majority of current heritage events, such as falconry, horse and camel presentations, pearl diving or desert poetry, does not target a merely national identity, but pertain to at least the wider Arab Gulf region. Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar, in particular, host various heritage festivals; worth mention is the Qatar International Falcon and Hunting Festival, which was celebrated for the fourth time in 2013. Falconry and the animalscape are in the truest sense of the word exclusive and serve as strategies of exclusion.
