At first glance, the Souq Waqif Clinic, located in the historic heart of Doha, the capital of Qatar, may be the most advanced hospital of any kind in the world. Nurses move briskly through the bright wards, making rounds. The radiology department and operating room spin in the dripping and flickering sound of the display. Experts squint their eyes at X-rays, and masked doctors make incisions with all the high-tech tools of modern surgery. But it's striking that the room is full of falcons.
In The small but wealthy emirate of Qatar, desert birds are among the country's most pampered "residents.".
Falcons have long been revered for their ferocity and hunting ability. The connection between humans and falcons has been a source of inspiration since the Paleolithic period, when drawings of these creatures first appeared on cave walls. Today they are a status symbol reminiscent of the Bedouins' past.
Although not as it used to be, in Qatar and other Gulf Arab countries, falconry art is still passed down from generation to generation.
As demand has grown in recent years, clubs that teach the sport have grown rapidly in the region, with the Falcons participating in more and more competitions and beauty pageants. The best falcons can buy at least a few thousand dollars, so Qataris go to great lengths to keep falcons alive and healthy.
Public hospitals like Souq Waqif provide specialist care for sick and injured eagles, about 30,000 per year. The marble reception area was bustling with hosts and porters bringing their birds for examinations, medical tests, feather changes, orthopedic surgeries — and even something like mani-pedis.
Falcon nail archiving is a very serious business, as it's not easy to find sharp surfaces with pruned paws from desert wild transplants to skyscrapers dotted with doha mansions or captive breeding birds.
Falcon hunting, while a long-respected tradition, is also a terrible job. Horned prey sometimes fights, grabbing an aggressive falcon and waddling on its wings. Each feather of a falcon is essential for its flight and needs to be carefully replaced after a twist. Because if these damaged feathers are still there, then it can cause their physical health to decline, or even die.
Changing the feathers of a falcon is cumbersome, and the doctor pulls out of a row of feathers that perfectly matches the species of the injured bird — a feather of the same pattern, length, and color.
Hospital surgeons also treat other damaged parts of hunting, such as the falcon's beak and claws, which are damaged by all the swooping, swooping, and swallowing.
In the clinic waiting room, falcons often perch on the gloved wrists of their owners. Qatari men in flowing white robes treat precious birds like children, stroking feathers and spouting water.
Falcon Festival manager Hamad Al-Mehshadi, who brings regular bird check-ups of birds of prey, said: "If a person ignores their birds, it's a huge problem".
Oil wealth and global commerce may have turned Doha into a futuristic capital, with a series of gleaming skyscrapers and megaprojects, including a giant stadium that is about to host millions of football fans for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, a local said. But Souq Waqif still sees a steady stream of 150 falcons entering the clinic every day – suggesting that the echoes of Qatar's ancient history have not disappeared.