- Collection type
- Photograph
- Description
- Group portrait of four Arab men, falconers in Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's hunting party, in the Al Khatam sands near Al Ain. Four men pose for a group portrait in sand, each holding a peregrine falcon on a mangalah (cuff) over their hands. Muhammad bin Fadil (near left), a well known falconer, kneels in the sand beside another man. Behind them two other falconers stand with their birds. All of the falcons wear hoods over their eyes. Beside the group on the right a camel stands (only the head of the camel is visible). In the far distance behind them small shrubs and bushes grow on a flat expanse of rocky sand. The sky above is dotted with fluffy clouds.
- Geographical reference
- Abu Dhabi Emirate; Al Ain Region; Al Khatam
- Cultural groups
- Arab
- Person
- Named Person Muhammad bin Fadil
- Photographer Wilfred Patrick Thesiger
- Expedition or compiler Wilfred Thesiger United Arab Emirates Winter 1948-49
- PRM source Wilfred Patrick Thesiger
- Date / Period
- Date of photograph: 20/12/1948 - 27/01/1949
- Acquisition information
- Acceptance in Lieu: 03/2004
- Dimensions
- Image dimension 35 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 2004.130.22114.1 Previous PRM number: WT.1949.39.5.25 Previous other number: 1949.39/5.25
- Research and responses
Research Notes - 'Last winter I spent three weeks hawking with the Abu Falah sheikhs on the Trucial Coast at the southern end of the Persian Gulf.... The Arabs here use the peregrine, which they call "shahin", whereas on the open gravel plains of the Nejd they prefer the saker falcon or "hurr". The peregrine is swifter, bolder and more persevering, but the saker is said to have better eyesight and is worth up to twenty pounds, whereas a peregrine can be had for ten pounds.... Zaid planned the hunt in a wide circle among the sand dunes to the south-west of Buraimi. There were many wells of sweet water there, which would be a convenience, while heavy rain earlier in the year had produced rich grazing in the sands.' Wilfred Thesiger, 'Hawking in Arabia', Listener, 42 (1949), p.803-804. [AK 07/04/2011]
Research Notes - 'I spent the next month hawking with Zayid in the Khatam sands. The Al Bu Falah and Bin Maktum sheikhs of the Trucial Coast look forward eagerly to the hawking season which in these parts starts in November and usually ends in March. Zayid uses peregrines (shahin, pl. shuahin) mostly of the Eastern race, though I noticed one Barbary falcon among his birds, in preference to saker falcons (hurr pl. harar) which are preferred on the open plains of the Najd. The saker has better eyesight than the peregrine and can see a bustard on bare ground at an incredible distance, but among the sands, where bustards are easily tracked and where they can be approached from behind the dunes, the Arabs fancy the peregrine since it is swifter, bolder and more persevering than the saker. These peregrines are caught on the islands and salt flats along the Trucial Coast while on migration in November and December.' Wilfred Thesiger, pp. 143, in 'Desert Borderlands of Oman', Geographical Journal, 116, Oct. - Dec. 1950, pp. 137-168. [AK 07/04/2011]
- Associated publications
- Contemporary Publication - This image has been published in Wilfred Thesiger, Arabian Sands (London, 1959), plate 57 [facing p.288]: 'Zayid's falconers'. [PG 28/07/2008] Research Publication - This image has been published in Mark Allen, Falconry in Arabian (London, 1980), p.39: 'Sheikh Zaid's falconers in 1948-49. The hawks at top left and bottom right are haggard peregrines, the other two are passagers. Muhammad bin Fadil, kneeling on the left, was still an active falconer in 1977.' [AK 11/04/2011] Publication - This image has been published in The Thesiger Collection: A Catalogue of Unique Photographs by Wilfred Thesiger (Dubai, 1991), p.32: 'The Sheikh's falconers.' [PG 21/10/2008] Research Publication - This image has been published in David Remple and Christian Gross, Falconry and Birds of Prey in the Gulf (Dubai, 1993), p.9: 'HH Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's falconers, photographed by explorer Wilfred Thesiger in 1949.' [PG 03/03/2008] Research Publication - This image has been published in Zayed: A Photographic Journey: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Abu Dhabi, undated [2001]), p.174: 'Hawing at Muwaiqih, Zayed's falconers, 1949.' [PG 28/07/2008]
Further items to explore
2004.130.22142.1Portrait of Muhammad bin Fadil, a falconer in Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's hunting party, sitting on a camel with a peregrine falcon on his arm in the Al Khatam sands near Jebel Hafeet (Jabal Hafit). Muhammad bin Fadil kneels on his camel, which is saddled with a dark sheepskin and a burlap sack (most of the camel is outside the frame). He wears a patterned ghutra (headscarf), a thobe (long shirt) and a wraparound skirt. A hooded peregrine falcon perches on a mangalah (cuff) on his near hand and he holds a camel stick in his other hand. In the far distance a sheer faced rock mountain (likely Jebel Hafeet [Jabal Hafit]) sits below the horizon. This image was taken between December 20, 1948, and January 27, 1949, during which time Wilfred Thesiger stayed with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in Al Ain and joined him on a number of hunting excursions.2004.130.22142.1
2004.130.22168.1Standing half length portrait of Muhammad bin Fadil, a falconer in Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's hunting party, with a peregrine falcon in Al Khatam sands near Al Ain. Muhammad bin Fadil stands with a peregrine falcon perched on a mangalah (cuff) over his arm. He wears a patterned ghutra (headscarf) tied closely around his head a dark coloured thobe (long shirt) topped with a khanjar (dagger) and cartridge belt. This image was taken between December 20, 1948, and January 27, 1949, during which time Wilfred Thesiger stayed with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in Al Ain and joined him on a number of hunting excursions.2004.130.22168.1
2004.130.22230.1Portrait of Muhammad bin Fadil, a falconer in Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's hunting party, riding a camel with a peregrine in Al Khatam sands near Al Ain. Muhammad bin Fadil sits astride his camel, which faces forward, its head turned to the left. Muhammad bin Fadil's ghutra (headscarf) is blown back behind his shoulders by the wind and he holds a camel stick up in the air with one hand. A hooded peregrine falcon perches on a mangalah (cuff) on his other arm. Behind him a vast sand flat dotted with small tufts of vegetation stretches without interruption into the far horizon. This image was taken between December 20, 1948, and January 27, 1949, during which time Wilfred Thesiger stayed with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in Al Ain and joined him on a number of hunting excursions.2004.130.22230.1
2004.130.22231.1Portrait of Muhammad bin Fadil, a falconer in Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's hunting party, riding a camel with a peregrine in Al Khatam sands near Al Ain. Muhammad bin Fadil sits astride his standing camel, which faces towards the near right foreground, its head looking up into the sky. Muhammad bin Fadil's ghutra (headscarf) is blown back behind his shoulders by the wind and he holds a camel stick up in the air with one hand. A hooded peregrine falcon perches on a mangalah (cuff) on his other arm. Behind him a vast sand flat dotted with small tufts of vegetation stretches without interruption into the far horizon. This image was taken between December 20, 1948, and January 27, 1949, during which time Wilfred Thesiger stayed with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in Al Ain and joined him on a number of hunting excursions.2004.130.22231.1
2004.130.17883.1View of Wilfred Thesiger's travelling party trekking through Al Dhafra sands during their journey from Dhibi well to Al Batin sands. Wilfred Thesiger's travelling companions, tribesmen of the Bayt Imani lineage of Rashid Bedouin, ride their camels in a tight pack across a vast empty flat plain. Three men are mounted on camels, while one man walks alongside the group.2004.130.17883.1
2004.130.25459.1View of a Bedouin man in Wilfred Thesiger's travelling party trekking in the Ramlat ar Rabbad sands. In the foreground a man leads a line of camels across an area of mostly flat sand, heading towards the far distance. A few small trees and clumps of vegetation grow in the sand. In the far background a large dune rises in the distance.2004.130.25459.1
2004.130.22770.1Close up portrait of a tribesman of the Junuba Bedouin, possibly a member of Wilfred Thesiger's travelling party, in Al Muwaiji near Al Muwaiji Fort in Al Ain oasis. A man with a large dark beard sits facing forward. He wears a plain thobe (shirt) and a headscarf. Behind him bare sand fills the background.2004.130.22770.1
2004.130.17240.1Full length standing portrait of a tea boy in Dubai. A boy wearing a collared shirt and a wraparound skirt stands on a street corner holding a silver tray on which cups, a teapot and other items sit. Behind him pictures of dhows (sailboats) have been drawn in charcoal on the side of a building.2004.130.17240.1