The Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, accompanied by dignitaries and Katara officials, tours the festival site and interacts with people at Katara.
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Traditional maritime songs resonated along the shores of Katara yesterday as Fath Al Kheir carrying 40 crew members embarked on a 27-day voyage across the GCC as highlight of this year’s Traditional Dhow Festival.
The Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani along with other dignitaries and Katara officials witnessed the departure of the dhow.
He also toured the exhibition which features over 100 dhows of various types.
The Fath Al Kheir journey is the first of its kind initiated by Katara to revive the centuries-old maritime heritage Qatar shares with neighbouring countries.
Before the discovery of oil, the Arabian Gulf had been a thriving pearl diving and merchant economy.
The trip is also the first of its kind in the region due to the unavailability of dhows that have the capacity for such journeys and the lack of experienced youth in the field. The crew members were chosen from among applicants from Qatar and the GCC region, based on certain criteria.
Fath Al Kheir will complete an 850 nautical mile trip, making its first stop in Bahrain, then Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the UAE. It will return to Qatar on December 18, in time for National Day celebrations.
The 45-metre dhow was built for the then Emir of Qatar in 1983 by Amireya workshop to promote tourism trips for the Ministry of Information and Tourism.
It is now part of the collection of Qatar Museums Authority.
The journey aims at reviving and preserving the cultural heritage of Qatari ancestors’ travels and transportation across the world using dhows, as well as teaching the young generations about this kind of travel via dhows and promoting Qatari history.
Featuring 105 Arabian dhows of various types, the festival also includes heritage lectures, performances by renowned regional bands, live boat-building demonstrations, dhow cruises, children’s activities, exhibits from museums across the Gulf and maritime competitions.
The festival concludes today with presentation of awards to winners in sailing, rowing and pearl diving contests held in the past five days. The Peninsula
