As I sauntered past the decorative talon-prints leading to the entrance of the falcon hospital at Doha’s Souq Waqif, a glaring ignorance gave away my westernness.
Paralyzing fear of winged creatures aside, I was visually dumbstruck by the ease and tenderness with which Qatari men held their pet falcons—talons, beaks, vicious bloodlust and all—on their arms in the crowded office. Just as any American would comfort their dog or cat at the vet, Qatari men cooed at their companions, petting their heads (which were all hooded in an effort to keep the birds calm in an otherwise distressing situation) with love and reassurance. To be fair, the average American pet generally doesn’t require owners to wear protective gear when handling, but my shock was knee-jerk, and came before I took time to contextualize a bit. A better understanding of Qatari history provided by our lovely tour guide Jamal forced me to recognize that, along with many other customs that I take for granted as an American, not everyone around the world does pet culture the same way that we do.
According to Jamal and my American guide Samina, collecting falcons is a celebrated Qatari pastime dating back thousands of years. Before the country sprang from the sand into unrivaled wealth, Bedouins in the desert were reliant upon their falcons for hunting purposes, and ended up falling for the giant winged predators in the process. This modern-day love story is reflected in mainstream Qatari life on several levels, most significantly at the souqs. The falcon hospital and shops at Souq Waqif are a modern adaptation of this tradition, allowing Qataris to continually access this part of their heritage, the preservation of which is very clearly a national priority.
Once a falcon is chosen from one of the shops, it will bond with its “master,” as they are called; a bond so intense that the presence of too many other humans in one room can agitate the birds, which explains the need for hoods during trips to the doc. To this day, falcons are used across Qatar to hunt for their masters, venturing out into the desert and bringing back small prey such as rabbits for their humans to eat. Just like any other beloved pet, Qatari men periodically take their birds into the hospital for check-ups, feather-mending, and talon-clipping.
Alongside all the raptor love, beloved Qatari pets include other exotic (to Americans, that is) furry friends, such as world-champion Arabian horses and gargly-throated one-humped dromedary camels. During a visit to the Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre—a massive hub of all things equestrian and a horse girl’s fever dream—we were treated to a full tour of the grounds, where some of the world’s most expensive competition horses are bred, kept, trained, and doted upon by the loving staff.
Though I learned more about horse semen than any one person ever truly needs to know, our visit to Al Shaqab was enlightening. One look at the carefully manicured grounds and state-of-the-art stable structures betrays the historical and cultural significance of horses to the region. When the ancestors of the current royal family settled in Qatar over 300 years ago, they brought with them Arabian horses from the desert. These horses remain an important symbol of strength in Qatar’s martial history—these were the animals that the Bedouin tribespeople rode to defeat Ottoman aggressors in 1893. According to an essay published by Arab News, there’s even an ancient legend claiming that these animals were “born of a handful of the south wind, and virtue is bound into the hair of its forelock, its master is its friend and he has been given the power of flight without wings.” Even nowadays, they aren’t just hobby horses: Al Shaqab Equestrian Center is home to the world’s top performing Arabian fillies, colts, mares, and stallions. These equines cost a pretty penny, as they travel the world competing in shows across Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S., such as the prestigious Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. In Qatar, it’s abundantly clear that people don’t just think of these design horses as money-makers; there’s a sense of gratitude for all that they have done and continue to do for the country and its identity.
Qatari camels, however, lead a far less glamorous lifestyle than the world champs in the stables. Though often used as props to satisfy the endless demand from westerners in need of proper “I’m So Bohemian And Fun Because I Went To The Desert And Rode A Camel, Don’t You Wish You Never Broke Up With Me?” photos, there still remains a strong cultural attachment to these even-toed ungulates throughout Bedouin and more urban communities alike. A proud symbol of desert life, the camel—known locally as “the ship of the desert”—represents the enduring bond between the people and the land of this region. While most Qataris have updated their preferred form of transportation from camelback to Land Cruiser, camels are still kept as pets and used for the highly competitive sport of camel racing, a high-energy affair explored in an Izaca documentary funded by Al Jazeera called “The Camel Race.” Yet another modern adaptation to a centuries-old custom, men engineer robot jockeys to pilot the camels as they drive alongside the racetrack, closely monitoring who’s in the lead via walkie talkie.
To the people of Qatar, history remains a resource as precious as any pearl or oil rig. The preservation of their unique pet culture offers future generations a chance to engage with their past—four-legged or otherwise.
