Qataris hooked on traditional fishing competition

Doha, Qatar: On the Doha seashore, rows of wooden dhow boats line a pier, with scores of fish on display part of a festival seeking to revive the c...

Doha, Qatar: On the Doha seashore, rows of wooden dhow boats line a pier, with scores of fish on display -- part of a festival seeking to revive the country's long seafaring tradition.

Aboard the boats, men in customary sea gear -- a white t-shirt and towel -- pay tribute to the age-old tradition of line-fishing in the Gulf emirate for the 11th edition of the Senyar festival.

"The feeling was amazing," competitor Mohammed al-Hail told AFP as he returned from four days out at sea to waiting friends and family at the close of the festival in Katara Cultural Village, a hub for arts and heritage preservation in Doha.

"As soon as we finished... here and there we saw our friends," said Hail, a naval officer.