World's most expensive falcon sells for $170,000 in Saudi Arabia

A young falcon in Saudi Arabia fetched more than $170,000, the most expensive sale of that type of bird and the costliest purchase so far, at an annual 45-day auction of the hunting birds cherished in Gulf countries.

The price is nearly eight times higher than falconers would usually expect to pay for a hunting bird.

The bird was sold on Tuesday for 650,000 Saudi riyals ($173,000) by virtue of its unique characteristics and scarcity, the auction's organisers, the Saudi Falcon Club, said.

A Saudi man displays a falcon which was sold for SR650,000 ($173,284). Media Center Saudi Falcons Club Auction via REUTERS

The club said it was the most expensive sale ever globally for its type – a young Shaheen breed, a type of peregrine falcon.

Falconry is an important part of the cultural desert heritage of Arabs of Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries going back thousands of years.

A UAE based falconer told The National that a typical hunting bird would retail for about $23,000 but a prize-winning falcon at competitions can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars and are priced accordingly.

Competitions include hunting and speed races as well as beauty contests.

Falcons, whose flight speeds can exceed 300 kilometres per hour, are recognised internationally as endangered. Countries have varying regulations governing their sale, capture, breeding and hunting activities.

The falcon, weighing 1.1 kilograms, was captured from the wild in Hafer Al Batin, in north-east Saudi Arabia, the club said.

The auction from October 3 to November 15 is organised by the Saudi Falcon Club, founded in 2017 and supported by the government as a way to preserve and nurture the heritage activity.

Falcon owners in the Gulf, seeking hunting opportunities, commonly travel with their birds inside plane cabins to countries such as Pakistan, Morocco and the Central Asian region during colder months.

A Saudi man carries a falcon for an auction at Saudi Falcons Club Auction in Riyadh. Ahmed Yosri / Reuters
A Saudi man wearing a face mask waits for his turn with his falcon at Saudi Falcons Club Auction in Riyadh. Ahmed Yosri / Reuters
A Saudi man shows-off his falcon during an auction at Saudi Falcons Club Auction in Riyadh. Ahmed Yosri / Reuters
A Saudi man wearing a mask carries a falcon for an auction at Saudi Falcons Club Auction in Riyadh. Ahmed Yosri / Reuters
A Saudi man shows off his falcon during an auction at Saudi Falcons Club Auction in Riyadh. Ahmed Yosri / Reuters

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.

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2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.

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Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

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4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.

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RESULT

Wolves 1 (Traore 67')

Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')

Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)

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It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.

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