Celebrating the Second Annual Dhow Festival, Katara welcomes Dhows from across the region
Doha, November 13, 2011: In celebration of the Second Annual Dhow Festival, Katara the Cultural Village welcomes Dhows from across the region at the opening ceremony attended by His Excellency Dr. Hamad Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts, and Heritage. The Second Annual Dhow Festival which opened last night will continue until Saturday 17th November at Katara’s Esplanade.
Showcasing over 100 Dhows, from Bahrain, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Oman the only Dhow Festival in the region will include various traditional activities. Taking place during the Second Annual Dhow Festival will be performances by renowned regional bands, dhow cruises, fireworks, live dhow building, a light show, the pearl diving competition, children’s workshops, and museum displays from galleries from across the Gulf.
Ahmed Al Hitmi, Dhow Festival Committee Manager commented: “The opening of the Second Annual Dhow Festival was a great success; we are honoured to have such courageous men in our presence that spent endless nights on these dhows to help build our trade. The event contributes to Katara’s vision of educating, entertaining and demonstrating the importance of traditional Arab cultures.”
A library will open during the festival in the Traditional Village where people can access information about activities that have been happening over the years. For over 13 centuries, dhows were used as the main trading vessels sailing to India and East Africa and were commonly used by fishermen and pearl divers. There will also be a series of lectures which will go side by side with the exhibition to provide a deeper understanding about dhows.
The pearl diving competition will begin on November 15th at 4.00pm where 12 teams will embark on a three-day journey to collect as many pearls as possible using traditional methods and tools of diving.
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