It was in around 500 A.D. that falconry began to develop in all of the vast peninsula which today houses the Emirates (but also Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar), through the nomad Bedouin tribes, which contributed, thanks to their nature as travellers, to spread it rapidly. In the course of history, it has continually taken greater root in the culture and traditions of the people of the Emirates, to the point at which today the United Arab Emirates have launched a global campaign for the recognition of falconry as an important part of world heritage.
To this aim, an extensive dossier is in preparation, destined for UNESCO, which will deal with this theme in terms of several aspects: history, geo-political background, treatment and training of falcons, the regions traditionally suitable for hunting with the falcon, medical care for this bird of prey (highly specialised, and carried out in clinics dedicated to them). A dossier the putting together of which requires time and commitment to research, because it aims to represent the most important form of international recognition, both from a scientific and a technical point of view, for the sport and culture of falconry. A highly significant aspect of this recognition lies in the fact that the Arab Emirates are signees to the World Convention for the Safeguard of Intangible Cultural Heritage, in which they intend to have falconry included.
Archaeology also offers a valid contribution to falconry. Several digs and manuscripts have confirmed that falconry was already being practised 12,000 years ago in the Arabian Gulf from which it also spread to the entire south Asian continent, as well as Europe and North America. And today, after thousands of years, it will be celebrated in a village in the desert which will be constructed near to Abu Dhabi, so that the passion for this noble sport, which embodies the close tie between man and nature, remains intact. Here it will be possible to admire all aspects of the traditional life of the Bedouins, in which falconry has always paid a key role. Its realisation, which involves an enormous financial investment, will also mean a great deal for the tourism industry, in that it is also planned that the village will become one of the main attractions, both for tourists and for the inhabitants of the Emirates and this is part of a larger project on the part of the Abu Dhabi authorities: to transform the capital of the Emirates into a large cultural centre - as is confirmed also by the openings of museum sites for the Louvre and the Guggenheim.
It will also have a founding function from the point of view of learning for school age children who will be able to see what history has handed down with their own eyes, thus being more involved in the lifestyle represented and experiencing interactive education of certain efficacy. Within the village there will also be a museum, an interactive centre, an oasis, an ancient souk, residential areas and hotels. Part of the planners intent also includes the desire to offer and transmit their history and traditions to foreign visitors, since a more intense form of exchange among peoples cannot but benefit international relations.