S’hail continues to attract large number of visitors

The activities of the sixth edition of S’hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition, organised by Katara – the Cultural Village Foundation, continued at the Wisdom Square venue Tuesday, being attended by a large number of people.On its second day, S'hail saw the visits of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani; HE Khalid bin Shaheen bin Ghanim al-Ghanim; HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali al-Thani, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; and HE Sheikh Saud bin Khalid al-Thani, in addition to ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the country, Katara said in a press statement.The ambassadors include Alessandro Prunas (Italy), Victor ?vircun (Moldova), Georges Bahsa Hazim (Dominican Republic), Javier Carbajosa Sanchez (Spain) and Ali Ibrahim Ahmed (Eritrea).The expansive and grand S’hail 2022 runs until September 10 and has on display both vintage and state-of-the-art products from 180 companies, specialising in falconry and hunting-related products, from 20 countries. The opening day’s falcon auction at S’hail 2022 registered the highest bid price of QR25,000 and was won by Ali Saleh Ali al-Sinari al-Jahish.Commenting on the progress of the exhibition, Mohamed bin Abdul Latif al-Misnad, vice-chairman of the Organising Committee of S’hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition, said: “S’hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition looks forward to keeping pace with everything new and innovative in the field while preserving the ancient tradition as it has become one of the most important international exhibitions specialising in the field of hunting and falcons, and an important place for communication between amateurs and professionals in order to develop falconry and hunting methods and to promote the cultural and recreational movement that supports this heritage locally and globally.”He stressed that S’hail has become renowned for attracting the best international companies to display the most luxurious products. The Organising Committee of S’hail is always keen to select companies of high quality, efficiency and innovation that meet the needs of falconers and hunting enthusiasts. Distinguished Gulf presenceS’hail 2022 is distinguished by the remarkable presence of Gulf companies from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as there are nearly 40 firms specialising in weapons, rifles, hunting supplies, safaris and trips.Such Gulf companies have always been an important part of S’hail and they consider it as one of the most innovative and exhaustive exhibitions in the region and the world, given its distinct role in not only introducing visitors to new products from all over the globe but also in opening horizons of knowledge, exchange of experiences, and access to everything new presented by the participating companies, thereby providing a stimulating development, advancement and competition.Hani Ahmed al-Dhuwaikh of Al Qannas Company for Weapons and Ammunition (Kuwait), expressed pride at his participation for the sixth time in S’hail. He said: “The increasing turnout of people at S’hail since its inception in 2017 reflects the aspirations of the lovers of falcon, hunting and heritage. S’hail has its own way of presenting the best global products and innovations in the field of weapons, hunting supplies and safari trips.” He also expressed happiness at the demand for arms, witnessed by the company's pavilion on the opening day of S’hail 2022. He said more than 40 types of weapons, regular and automatic, grenades, rifles, and air pistols that are used for shooting, in addition to ammunition, weapon-cleaning equipment, binoculars, camping supplies and hunting wear with best global innovations, are being displayed by his company this year.Mohamed al-Amiri, in charge of Tamreen Company (the UAE), spoke of his experience being at S’hail for the first time. He described the exhibition as a prestigious global platform and an important cultural meeting point that brings together lovers of hunting and falconry and the world’s top falconers all under one roof, noting that the company’s pavilion displays a wide range of knives that are used for hunting with more than 400 different varieties. He stressed that Tamreen Company has invented one of the most prominent products of Saleh brand knives from superior quality raw materials carrying a guarantee of 10 years.Abdul Halim al-Sunaidi, director of Al Sunaidi Travel Supplies Company (Saudi Arabia), said they are at S’hail for the second time and that the company’s pavilion has more than 500 products related to all requirements for road trips and safaris. He said Al Sunaidi is considered as the first and largest in Saudi Arabia in the field of camping accessories made from carefully chosen and finest materials. Hunting equipment licensing at S’hail 2022The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA)'s pavilion at S’hail 2022 is an important point for keen hunting lovers to get their equipment certified.Hunting enthusiasts who use electronic devices to track their birds or use drones for training falcons need to obtain necessary licences from the authority.Dr Zain El Abidine Omar from the Department of Frequency Spectrum of the CRA said it has the authority to issue licences, monitor telecommunication services and settle disputes between operators as a supervisory body.Among the tasks of the authority is spectrum management, frequency or radio waves. Any device that operates on radio frequencies needs to get a frequency allocated by the Communications Regulatory Authority. Falcon tracking devices also need to be licensed by the authority.The CRA also issues licences to amateurs who may use wireless devices to communicate with others, besides for falcon training aircraft - whether a drone or other kinds of electronic devices that rely on remote controls. Lectures and seminarsAs part of a series of lectures aimed at spreading knowledge about hunting and falcon breeding, S’hail's audience followed Tuesday evening, a lecture on "Qatar Falconers' Campaign to Release Falcons", presented by Dr Farouk Omar al-Ajli, a researcher specialising in genomics, who explained the initiative of Qatar Al Gannas Society to launch five campaigns to return falcons to the wildlife. The event will also witness a lecture Wednesday by Rawdat Al Faras Centre on houbara breeding, and tomorrow on common and emerging diseases in falcons, presented by Dr Iqdam al-Karkhi.