The Katara Traditional Dhow Festival, organised by Katara – the Cultural Village and based on the region’s maritime heritage, continues to dazzle as patrons and visitors explore the many activities on beach promenade.
The 12th edition of the popular festival is running until December 18, accompanying the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Nine participating nations have set up several attractive pavilions which see a daily influx of thousands of visitors to the cultural neighbourhood for an enjoyable and exciting tour of the festival which highlights maritime heritage, tradition, voyage into the sea in the past, pearl diving methods, sea-side marketplace of the past and related culture and handicrafts.
The Qatari house, which is in the centre of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival, embodies a model of the heritage house reflecting the character of ancient marine of ancestral generations – who lived in an era of hunting and pearl diving. Well preserved cooking pots, water pots, mattresses, utensils for preparing Arabic coffee, stove, sailors’ supplies, ropes, fishing and diving equipment, cages, a housing box, and a box of pearl kit are also on display.
The Omani house also conveys an image of the fragrant past and the treasures of maritime heritage and Omani originality in detail. Rare exhibits and collectibles document the era of wooden ship making, traditional dhows and pearl diving, forming a wonderful museum that provides tourists a deep insight and amazement.
The Saudi House receives guests of the World Cup warmly, welcoming them with Arabic coffee and taking them on an interesting tour of its exhibits and integrated collections of marine heritage masterpieces and traditional folk industries, especially the manufacture of ropes, fishing nets, gargoyles and wedges.
The pavilion of Kuwait has many crafts and supplies that were used in the past and closely related to the sea, such as the manufacture of wicker and baskets from palm fronds – baskets and barns, earlier used to store fish and to keep food on board on ships.
The Tanzanian house is distinguished by an exhibition that highlights the ancient maritime heritage of the Zanzibar region. It provides bright glimpses of the lives of ancestors and the stories of the first sailors. These pictures document the traditional dhows used in the past and the spices they carried, along with pictures of Arab sailors on the coast of Zanzibar. They were photographed by the Coutinho Brothers and photographer Pierre de Lourdes dating back to the period between 1890 and 1950, which embodies an integrated heritage museum with a rich history of fishing, diving and maritime trade.
Katara is also preparing to open more art exhibitions, including the Museum of Traditional Dhows, Thursday at 4pm in Building 19, Hall 1. There will be a ‘World Wonders Balloon Tour’ show for three days from Thursday at the Wisdom Square (near the fountain). The first show will be held at 5pm and the second at 7pm. There will also be a Bosnian folklore event for three days from Thursday, with the first show from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and the second from 9pm to 10pm. The Indonesian Exhibition (Batik Art), Building 47, will open Thursday at 6.30pm.
The ‘Football, Fine Art and Collectibles Exhibition’ continues to receive visitors until December 18.

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