Falcon tradition inspires passion in World Cup host Qatar

DOHA: Qatar has become a focal point for soccer since winning the right to host the World Cup. But another sport is flying high in the historic center of the capital, Doha, as over a million foreign fans flock to the tiny emirate: Falconry.

At the bustling Souq Waqif, a 100-year-old labyrinth marketplace in Doha, shops selling spices and souvenirs give way to stores — and even a state-of-the-art hospital — filled with the famed birds that have long inspired passion among Bedouin tribes.

For centuries, Arabs across the region have used falcons to hunt and recited poems extolling their virtues. Today, the birds of prey serve as potent reminders of Qatari culture and tradition even as the skyscraper-studded city races to ready itself for the world’s biggest sporting event.

“Of course, football is the mother of sports. But alongside football there are other, very important sports that we want foreigners to understand about Qatar,” said Khalid Al-Kaja, a 45-year-old falconer originally from the Syrian countryside who moved to Doha with his family over two decades ago to breed the bird. “The way that we deal with falcons says so much about our relationship with the desert, with nature. It brings us back to the basics of life.”

Excited fans from around the world trickled into Souq Waqif on Saturday, a day before the World Cup opening ceremony, braving Doha’s piercing autumn sun to wander through the stalls of perfume and incense and check the stock of squawking parrots and lovebirds.

In a dark alley, Al-Kaja expressed hope that the spotlight of the World Cup would boost global appreciation for the ancient pastime to which he has dedicated his life. Lines of falcons, tethered to perches, waited to be appraised on Saturday.