FALCONRY

The art of training falcons, hawks, and other game birds to hunt.

Rooted in pre-Islamic Arabia, falconry became a fashionable courtly pastime from the time of Caliph Yazid ibn Muʿawiya (680–683 c.e.) to that of the Ottoman Empire sultans. Also practiced by commoners, falconry's popularity spread from Persia to Morocco. Most prized were the gyrfalcons of Siberia. These Siberian birds were often exchanged as ceremonial gifts among ambassadors. Many treatises were written on the art of training, and the hawk became a common motif in the Islamic arts. Hunting with falcons remains a popular pastime of the wealthy today on the Arabian Peninsula.

elizabeth thompson

fal·con·ry / ˈfalkənrē; ˈfôl-/ • n. the sport of hunting with falcons or other birds of prey; the keeping and training of such birds.