Kazakhstan’s first Open Asian Falconry Cup showcases ancient hunting heritage

Golden eagles, hawks and saker falcons featured in traditional hunting contests at the inaugural Open Asian Falconry Cup, the main competition of the fifth Shygys Salburyny International Festival. Participants came from Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Russia, China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Spain and Hungary. Around 15,000 spectators attended the two-day event, which also featured sighthound races, the taming of unbroken horses, mounted archery, the horseback coin-picking contest, known as “tenge ilu”, tug of war and other traditional strength contests. The festival celebrates qusbegilik, Kazakhstan’s centuries-old tradition of hunting with trained birds of prey. Golden eagle hunters, known as “berkutchi”, demonstrated their skills alongside other falconers. Serikbolsyn Zhalgasuly from the Zhambyl Region won the golden eagle competition, while Zaki Makhmudkhan took the hawk title and Temirali Tolegenuly won the saker falcon event. Organisers hope the international competition will promote Kazakhstan’s hunting heritage and encourage wider recognition of these traditions.