DOHA – Under the patronage of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, Katara's Third Traditional Dhow Festival will be held from Nov. 19-23. As part of the festival, Fath El-Kheir journey, one of the festival's most prominent events, will start on Nov. 22. The festival is held in cooperation with the Qatar Museums Authority as the leading maritime heritage festival in the GCC region and the world. It aims to revive ancestral heritage in traveling and navigation through sailing and preserving local heritage and Qatar's maritime legacy. Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid Bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti said: “We are extremely honored to host this event for the third time in Qatar and proud to teach our younger generation how to travel using Dhows, and educating them about our Qatari history. Katara is committed to preserving Qatari culture and providing a strong platform for arts and culture to our community.” This unique festival is the only of its kind in the region and will exhibit more than 100 vessels from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qatar. Owners and crews of these traditional sea vessels will be present to greet visitors, and share their secrets of the maritime trade in an effort to showcase Qatari culture. Along the Katara beach, exhibitors will display dhows from Gulf countries while visitors will get the chance to experience daily cruises, attend dhow maintenance workshops and cultural sessions, and listen to live traditional music by performers from across the Gulf. There will also be a pearl diving competition and a rowing competition on Thursday (November 21, 2013), and a sailing competition on Wednesday. Ahmed Al Hitmi, Dhow Festival Committee Manager, commented: “We are confident that the Third Dhow Festival will be a great success, similar to the past two years. We are very pleased to see the number of brave men who have registered for the Fath El Kheir GCC-wide trip as well as the rest of the competitions. We are proud of our Qatari culture, and through this event we hope to contribute to Katara's vision of educating, entertaining, and demonstrating the importance of traditional Arab cultures.” – SG
