Doha, Qatar: The Gulf's participation in the 13th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival on Tuesday reflected the richness of the region's sea heritage and its cultural aspects.
On the waterfront of Katara Beach, the pavilions of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain displayed dhows, art and craft.
In special statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), participants noted the festival's role in preserving the heritage of the sea, celebrating its symbols, and showing respect to the ancestors, in addition to passing it to the younger generations.
Khalifa Al Amiri, head of the Saudi delegation, said that the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival represents an ongoing call to preserve and restore heritage in the best ways and means.
Saudi participation includes the documentation of diving, sailing, pearl fishing, and models of traditional ships, as well as an exhibition of artistic images of traditional ships, islands, pearls and oysters.
Nawaf Abdullah Al Asfour, head of the Kuwaiti delegation, explained in a similar statement to QNA that the Kuwaiti participation includes craftsmen, owners of private collections and museums, models of traditional shipbuilding tools, and diving and fishing equipment.
Al Asfour highlighted the development of the festival when it comes to organization, events held and the Gulf, Arab and international participation.
Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Omrani, of the Amjad Oman Museum, said that the festival contributes to the sea culture and heritage of the region, representing a link between the East and the West.
It's a celebration of the legacy of the ancestors who sailed on their ships and crossed to East Asia, the Americas and different regions.
Al Omrani said that the Omani participation includes maritime professions, the traditional market, crafts related to the sea, a museum that includes traditional equipment, ships and shipbuilding tools, in addition to fossils, shells, books and tools used for pearl diving and its trade.
Researcher Mustafa Al Fardan from the UAE praised the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival on the scale of the Gulf and Arab world.
He explained that his interest as a researcher is to gain information, interact with those interested in the heritage of the sea, as well as exchange experiences with the participants.
Al Fardan sees the diving heritage as a representation of a common history amongst the Gulf countries and each country had a role in enriching it.
He also shared his interest in transferring this culture and heritage to new generations in a modern way by including technology, theater and music.
Noukhatha Khalid Salman Ajlan from Bahrain sees the festival as a platform for documenting and teaching the heritage and celebrating it by both adults and children.
He added that Bahrain's participation is broad, it includes traditional arts and crafts and models of traditional ships.
The 13th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival will continue until Dec. 2.
It embodies the efforts of the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) in focusing on sea heritage and culture with all its arts and traditions, as well as Katara's aim to keep this tradition linked in the culture.
