(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: The Eighth Katara Traditional Dhow Festival concluded yesterday drawing thousands of people to the Katara beach over the past five days to enjoy the festive atmosphere and learn about the maritimetraditions in Qatar and the Gulf region.
The Festival was held under the patronage of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who paid a visit to the Festival on Friday. Father Amir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani also visited the Festival.
The five- day Festival also attracted a number of dignitaries including ambassadors of different countries to Qatar and hundreds of marine and heritage enthusiasts.
Marking the conclusion of the Festival, Ahmed Al Hitmi, head of organising committee yesterday presented mementoes to represenatives of the participating countries and other participants and supporters. Qatar Petroleum was the platinum sponsor of the Festival.
Besides Qatar, Oman, Turkey, Kuwait, Italy, Iran and Greece , among other countries, had set up stalls at the Festival featuring marine traditions of the respective countries.
On Friday the Festival witnessed a surprise annoucement by Dr Khaled bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara Cultural Village about the new voyage being undertaken by the famous Qatari dhow Fath Al Khair.
Fath Al Khair will set sail from Katara beach on its fourth historical voyage in April next year. The journey, titled Fath Al Khair 4 will cover Oman, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. From Tunisia the dhow will begin its return jounrney via Oman.
Huge crowd thronged the Katara beach over the weekend to watch dazzling fireworks displays themed on marine traditions. The Festival showcased almost everything related to sea and marine and maritime traditions.
Visitors to the Katara beach had been treated to traditional sea-related songs and dances, fishing and rowing competitions, products, souvenirs, equipment and techniques associated with sea, pearl diving and shipbuilding, along with traditional cuisine, among others.
They also had the opportunity to visit different types of traditional dhows and vessels anchored at the beach and meet and interact with marine experts, veteran divers, seafarers, craftsmen and boatbuilders from the participating countries.
Over the five days, thousands of children took part in art workshops focusing on life and traditions related to the sea. The morning hours were dedicated to visits by children from schools across Qatar.
MENAFN2511201800630000ID1097742100
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.