Moroccan falconry consists of raising, training and using a falcon (usually Falco pelegrinoides, the Barbary falcon) or a sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) to hunt small game — partridge, hare, bustard, sometimes duck. It is practised mainly in the Doukkala-Abda region (Kalâa des Sraghna), Tadla, and the Zaer country.
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to be replacedi. History
The first mentions of Moroccan falconry appear in the Marinid chronicles of the 14th century, notably in the account of Sultan Abu al-Hassan. Under the Saadians and the Alawites, falconry became a court sport; in the 17th century Sultan Moulay Ismaïl kept several hundred falcons in his imperial falconries. Popular practice has been maintained among the Chiadma, Doukkala and Tadla tribes.
ii. Training
Training a falcon lasts several months. The falconer, called tair or bayzar, captures the raptor young, gradually accustoms it to the gloved hand (falconry glove, kfara), to rationed food and to the call of the whistle. Once adult, the falcon hunts at sunrise (lawkir) and is recalled to the glove after each catch.
iii. Brotherhoods
The craft is traditionally transmitted in two great brotherhoods: that of the Aïssaoua of Kalâa des Sraghna and that of Doukkala. The Moroccan Falconry Brotherhood, a federative structure created in 2003 and recognised by the Ministry of Culture, gathers about 200 active falconers.
iv. Festival
The National Falconry Festival of Kalâa des Sraghna, held each autumn, draws Moroccan falconers and Gulf guests — Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia — where the practice remains very alive. The 2021 UNESCO inscription strengthened international cooperation.