Aheqi County is located in the hinterland of Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China, bordering Kyrgyzstan. The local Kirgiz herdsmen have domesticated falcons for generations, and they still retain the original domestication methods. It is known as the "Hometown of Falcons" in China.
In Aheqi County, the knights with eagles on their right arms are the most unique scenery here.
Mushabek Adel, 45, one of the 121 recognized falconers in Aheqi County, has the fifth eagle on his arm and has been living with him for four years.
Mushabek Adel's master is the old falconer Kulmasi Hutman. The 70-year-old Kulmasi Hutman has nearly 50 years of falconry experience and is the fifth batch of national intangible materials. The inheritor of the representative project of the cultural heritage of falconry.
Up to now, he has domesticated 10 falcons and trained more than 30 falconers with rich experience in falconry.
Gulimina Elihazi Li Mingfei Chu Xu Yang Tao reports from Aheqi County, Xinjiang
Responsible editor: [Ji Xiang]