ABU DHABI // Moza Al Nuaimi spent yesterday afternoon bonding with her 14-year-old daughter over a collection of Hammerli sporting rifles.
The 34-year-old Emirati mother tenderly showed her daughter how to hold and aim the firearm on the final day of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex).
With only minor hesitation, the young Alyazia Al Nuaimi wrapped her fingers around the trigger and extended a slightly shaky arm to point the weapon directly at the head of a visitor standing near by.
“It’s very nice,” Alyazia said. “It’s not too heavy.”
The Al Nuaimis are among a growing number of women and girls drawn to the annual Adihex.
Previously thought of as a man’s show, the exhibition was slowly but surely attracting more women, said Abdullah Butti Al Qubaisi, the director of Adihex. “We had a lot of women visitors and that was in our plan, to have activities and to ... relate to women directly,” he said.
“The number of women this year was amazing. They contribute to 20 per cent of the number of visitors this year, compared to 10 and 5 per cent in the past.
“It was seen as a guy’s show, but this year we saw a lot of women go into even the weaponry section and the falcons. One lady was helping her little son buy a falcon and that was amazing.”
Mrs Al Nuaimi said she would encourage more women to attend Adihex because the diverse exhibition offered visitors the chance to learn about a variety of modern and traditional weapons and to handle them.
“This exhibition, it’s really like information,” said Mrs Al Nuaimi, who works for Abu Dhabi Police.
“So they have to come here to take some information from this because, really, it’s a game and they have to see this game, the hunting game.”
She said she wanted Alyazia to learn how to use guns “because in the future maybe she will become like me”.
Other women conceded that they had less interest in the weapons than in the cultural aspects of the exhibition.
“I wanted to experience some of Abu Dhabi’s culture this year,” said Carol Fiddes, a 42-year-old Canadian teacher who drove with friends to the capital from the Western Region.
“When I heard about this, I thought this was a really good opportunity to see what the Emiratis are interested in.
“I was also hoping to see some camels and falconry.
“Yeah, just interested in seeing what’s going on in the city because we’re way out west. I think women should come, get interested in what’s going on and not feel deterred.”
The exact attendance figures were not available yesterday, but Mr Al Qubaisi said the number of visits this year reached a record.
Adihex drew an average of 26,000 visitors a day since it opened on Wednesday.
The number of returning exhibitors was also expected to be high for next year’s Adihex, he said.
“It’s been a great show this year,” he added, praising the participation of the exhibitors, the rarity of the products, and the competitive prices.
The exhibitors were very happy with their sales, he said. “They started booking again for next year. By the end of the day, we’ll have a clear percentage of the bookings for next year. That’s a good indication for the success of the show.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
