Ali Bin Mohamed, an Emirati “mountain man” in his eighties, navigates the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) like a celebrity—cane in hand, he pauses occasionally as visitors request to take photos with him. Every year, he drives from RAK to attend the exhibition.
Having grown up in the mountains during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, hunting and weapons were integral to his daily life; everything they hunted was consumed—from gazelles to foxes. Being armed was essential when traversing the rugged terrain, both to protect against wild animals and potential infiltrators. After the Union’s formation and the shift to city life, firearms became restricted, stored at home “just in case” they were needed for defense. The retired soldier says he visits ADIHEX each year to examine the latest weapons. “And if I like anything, I can buy it later from our area,” he told Khaleej Times.
He recalls encountering vultures and wild animals, “including wild cats, foxes, and wolves, which we had to shoot to prevent them from attacking our cattle.” Those wild animals, he says, “went extinct in that area; we haven’t seen any wolves since the late 1960s.”
“I lived my early life in the mountains near Musandam. We had nothing there except the mountain and its creatures—no schools, no doctors, nothing.”
He isn’t sure of his exact birthdate, but believes he “probably came to the world around 1944.”
“When we were kids, we used hunting rifles like the Mauser. We hunted gazelles, foxes… I was 15 the first time I hunted prey—it was a gazelle,” he recalls.
“Back in the days, we ate foxes as well, and they tasted good. We used to slaughter it, cut its tail first, then bring date extract and cook it in hot water with herbs—and wore its fur…”
His mountain days ended shortly after Ras Al Khaimah joined the union in 1972. “We moved to the city, and then I became a soldier. I also participated as part of the Deterrent Forces during Lebanon’s Civil War; we stayed there for four months, based across several units. That was in the eighties.” He retired on December 17, 1990.
At ADIHEX, he strolls among the stalls, eyeing hunting rifles from M16s to Saktoon models, while passersby stop to greet him or take a selfie. When asked how people recognize him, they simply say he’s “an important man.” He modestly adds that he sometimes appears on local heritage shows.
