(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
The 11th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival has been launched yesterday presided by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim bin Faisal Al Thani and Cultural Village Foundation (Katara), General Manager, Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti along with Ambassadors and representative of diplomatic missions at Katara beach esplanade.
Expect a more diverse interaction and tour during the 11th edition of Dhow festival. Visitors can witness events from both sides of the beach and the waterfront. Live painting from artists, boat and handicraft making can be seen. For this year, it also presents over 85 crafts from Qatar, and about 100 from the Sultanate of Oman, all of which are traditional crafts drawn from the maritime heritage of the Gulf countries.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Dr. Al Sulaiti coined the festival as the“biggest traditional event in the region.”
“About 20 countries are participating in this year's edition. Boat making, traditional handicrafts, and workshops showcasing ship-building process and ancient crafts can be seen all throughout the stretch of the Katara waterfront. Qatar has the biggest number of dhow collection in the region.“We use to collect them from a very long time where other countries didn't. We took from many countries, even from the Persian part, and the Virgin 11 considered the most important to Katara,” he said.
“The Katara Traditional Dhow Festival is based on ancient traditions and the 11th edition will once again underline that it is not only a festival that presents a number of cultural activities, but an event which has turned into a cultural act that has transcended its local dimension to achieve its goals at the regional and global levels as well. Given the various activities and events that combine our authentic marine heritage with various fields of arts, in addition to the traditional marine sports, through various competitions, that have been inspired by our ancestral heritage of deep sea diving to seek livelihood for decades,” he added.
Around 40 events are to expect during the festival which will run until December 18, also coinciding the Arab Cup 2021.
“We would like to show the world the heritage of Qatar, and also what our neighbors have during the Dhow festival. Walking around you will see the old life of Qataris, how did they share their lives with others and how they lived in that period of time,” said Dr. Al Sulaiti.
Qatar Museums, and Museums from Kuwait, India and Greece are also participating in the said festival.
Among the other activities are cinematic presentation of“Fath Al Khair” trips, Arab singing tradition competition“Nahma,” Haddaq Al-Saif fishing competition, story-telling competition, traditional stage shows, live music, folk bands, and delicious traditional food booths are likewise present.
A floating café is also new to this year's festival where visitors can see the dhows and the festival from the sea. It offers a variety of drinks and light foods. The Dhow festival is open from 9am to 12 noon and from 3pm to 10pm. On weekends, it will remain open until 11pm. And on Fridays, The festival will open at 3pm.
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