14th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival inaugurated

Doha, Qatar:Under the patronage of Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the 14th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival opened yesterday. General Man...

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the 14th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival opened yesterday. General Manager of Katara Cultural Village Foundation Prof Dr. Khalid Ibrahim Al Sulaiti inaugurated the festival. The opening ceremony was attended by HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani and a number of Their Excellencies the Ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions. The festival is considered one of the most important heritage festivals organised by Qatar, and this year it brings together a number of Gulf, Arab and friendly countries. Dhow Festival activities will continue from 3pm to 10pm until December 7, 2024.

Al Sulaiti noted Katara’s role in preserving Qatar’s maritime heritage through various heritage events and providing an incubating environment that allows those interested of all ages to interact with this rich heritage, and contribute to preserving it for future generations. The Katara Traditional Dhow Festival is a unique event that highlights the Qatari and Gulf maritime heritage, and reflects the great interest in preserving these traditional maritime arts.  Through fun competitions and educational workshops, the festival contributes to enhancing cultural awareness and transferring these legacies to new generations. This year the festival witnesses distinguished participation from 11 countries, namely Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, India, Tanzania, Iran and Palestine.  This international participation reflects the depth of cultural and maritime relations between the participating countries and contributes to enriching and opening new horizons for cultural exchange. The festival organises a group of marine competitions that simulate traditional activities at sea, including the “Labrekha” competition, the “Swordfishing Competition”, “Pearl Diving” and “Rowing”, in addition to the “Senyar Family Competition”, which witnesses the participation of families in fun marine challenges aimed at enhancing the spirit of cooperation among family members and introducing them to the marine heritage. The festival also includes interactive workshops for children that aim to teach them about marine heritage in fun and engaging ways.  These workshops come within the framework of the festival’s efforts to instill heritage values in future generations and encourage them to learn about traditional marine activities that formed an important part of the lives of seafarers in the region. A group of visual artists participate in the Colors on the Sail event, where they draw on-site paintings inspired by marine heritage and the festival environment.