DOHA: The 14th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival continues its distinctive events and activities that provide visitors with an exceptional opportunity to immerse themselves in an authentic experience that embodies the lives of sailors in the past, on the southern side of Katara Beach until December 7 from 3pm to 10pm.
The festival witnessed strong competition on Monday, between participants in the Al-Haddaq competition. This aims to revive the heritage of the ancestors using traditional fishing tools such as line and hook without using modern tools.
The festival is distinguished by its embodiment of the Qatari and Gulf maritime heritage in all its details through a group of diverse pavilions that highlight its richness, and provide visitors with an integrated experience that combines education and entertainment.
Among the participating pavilions is the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum. In this context, Walid Al Dulaimi, Secretary General of the Museum, said: "We have been participating in the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival since its first edition, and this participation comes as part of the museum’s commitment to contributing to promoting Qatari heritage and culture, and highlighting the region’s ancient maritime history. We offer visitors to the festival a distinctive collection of its historical collections that highlight the development of maritime navigation in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf. These collections include traditional maritime tools, old maps, names of traditional dhows and tawashins, and models of dhows that were used in trade and pearl diving, providing visitors with an opportunity to learn about the pivotal role of the sea in shaping the cultural identity of the region."
In a related context, the Al Nakhuda House pavilion presents a collection of photos that document historical information and scenes related to the Qatari and Gulf maritime heritage, as the various documents on display provide realistic stories that narrate the sailors’ daily lives and their responsibilities in driving dhows and diving trips. It also displays old maritime tools used by the Nakhudas in navigation.
The Director of Bait Al Nakheel said: "Bait Al Nakheel offers visitors an exceptional opportunity to immerse themselves in an authentic experience that embodies the lives of seafarers in the past, through direct interaction with maritime heritage experts, and to learn inspiring tales of the courage and skills that distinguished the Nakheel. Our participation in the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival reflects our commitment to preserving the maritime heritage and passing it on to future generations. Through this participation, we seek to highlight the role of the captains and their importance in the history of Qatar and the Gulf."
Among the accompanying activities, the festival presents a group of seminars, where the audience today had an appointment with a seminar on Al-Hirat in Qatar, presented by Ibrahim Al-Jaber and Mohammed Al-Sada and moderated by Faisal Al-Tamimi. It is noteworthy that Al-Hirat is the famous pearl fishing areas in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf, and is one of the most important symbols of maritime heritage. At the end of the seminar, the participants called for raising awareness of Al-Hirat heritage, encouraging national initiatives that aim to preserve the maritime heritage and informing new generations of its environmental and geological importance as a source of marine wealth and the necessity of preserving it.
Professor Dr Idris Bostan (at Istanbul University, Department of Literature) also gave a lecture on Ottoman navigation in the Arabian Gulf and Qatar.
He said that it constitutes a maritime legacy that extends across the centuries, and has attracted the attention of many interested in maritime history and heritage. The lecture addressed the pivotal role played by the Ottoman Empire in organizing and developing maritime navigation in the Arabian Gulf during the past centuries. Dr. Bostan reviewed the most prominent Ports and maritime centers that contributed to the prosperity of regional trade, in addition to the role played by Qatar as part of this maritime system, especially in the pearl trade and sea routes.
Kuwaiti researcher Nawaf Al-Asfour previously presented a symposium entitled (Interesting talk about the sea and its secrets) that attracted great interest from sea lovers and heritage enthusiasts. The researcher reviewed stages of his country's interest in maritime heritage, indicating how the sea shaped the lives of ancient societies in the Gulf. Shedding light on stories related to the manufacture of traditional ships, which reveal the adventures and challenges faced by sailors in the past.