The four-day long Katara Traditional Dhow Festival began today, Tuesday, November 20, at 3:30 pm.
The 8th edition of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival was launched under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Being held until Friday, November 23, it will be a festival rich in culture, maritime shows and competitions, as well as a spectacular fireworks display.
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Organizers are promising us the biggest dhow festival so far, despite everything, with participants flocking in from all corners of the world, including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, India, Greece, Italy and Zanzibar.
To make it age friendly to all visitors, the scope of activities has expanded vastly since last year. There will also be a variety of traditional Qatari maritime competitions, such as Hadaq, Shoush, Tafreesh, Tajdeef, Bareekha, Al Shira and Sabaha, as well as several folkloric shows.
Nonetheless, the stars of the show are the dhows, the traditional Qatari sail boats that weres used for fishing, trade, transportation and pearl diving for centuries.
There will also be a maritime crafts market, in which participating countries can display and offer their traditional maritime craftsmanship and tools. Dhow and sailing enthusiast can be sure to find high-quality ropes, sails and dredging machines.
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Those not familiar with the country’s maritime history can learn more during the many games and workshops, which include a live demonstration of pearl extraction from oysters.
Last but not least, the Dhow Festival is hosting an art competition focusing on traditions of the sea, with a first prize of QR30,000.
If you’re looking for a special evening to visit the festival, go down on Thursday and Friday. There will be a beautiful display of fireworks between 8 and 8:30 pm.
