Living Heritage

Modern-day Abu Dhabi continues to evolve in harmony with its traditions.

- DENISE KOK

“I have been told that in England, it takes 50 days to train a wild falcon but, here, the Arabs had them ready in a fortnight to three weeks. This is because they were never separated from them. A man who was training a falcon carried it about everywhere with him,” notes English explorer Wilfred Thesiger in Arabian Sands, a travelogue documenting the author’s five-year journey across the deserts of Arabia, long before the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came into the riches bestowed by the discovery of oil.

While written in the 1940s, Thesiger’s observation continues to hold true in 21st century Abu Dhabi. Instead of traversing the Empty Quarter on horseback with their owners, today’s falcons are frequent fliers on Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE. Armed with their very own passports issued by the Ministry of Environment and Water, these birds of prey sit on perches secured in front of cabin seats. In business class, each traveller is allowed to board with up to two falcons. Unlike their owners, falcons fly at a standardised rate across all cabin classes, ranging from US$180 (S$250) for a short-haul flight within the Middle East to US$390 for long-haul journeys. Perhaps a fair price since the birds – hooded for the entire journey to dull any sensory input – aren’t in a hurry to watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters.