Katara Dhow Festival Highlights Shared Cultures in Maritime History

The 12th edition of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival is presently started on Katara Beach and will continue through Sunday as part of the World Cup-related festivities. This year's event will feature participation from Qatar and friendly nations like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Yemen, India, Turkey, and Tanzania. The participation of these nations in the festivities serves to showcase a number of their maritime legacies, as well as everything related to the arts, industries, and traditional crafts that were linked to the sea in earlier times.

Safwat al-Ghashem, a cultural adviser at the Yemeni embassy in Doha, noted that this is Yemen's first participation in the events of the traditional Dhow Festival, which takes place in conjunction with the World Cup and is a source of pride for all Arabs because they showcase Arab culture to the rest of the world. He also noted that the Yemeni pavilion presents Yemeni culture with its various regions from Hadhramaut and Al-Shihr band showcasing this maritime area which is consistent with the Qatari heritage.

He stated that pearl diving, where there is significant cultural overlap between Yemen and the Gulf up till Basrah, shows that there is convergence in legacy, creativity, and the arts. Al-Ghashem stated, "We also present participation from Al Hudaydah to convey the Tihamah region's culture and its connection to the Red Sea and fishing, as well as presenting a collection of rare photographs of the ports of Aden.

Khalifa al-Amiri, a representative of the Saudi House's pavilion, stated that "the Saudi House is actively participating in the 12th Traditional Dhow Festival this year by presenting the Saudi people's rich maritime tradition."
He added, "Regarding the ancient crafts that were connected to shipbuilding, the Saudi pavilion displays 14 maritime crafts, the most significant of which are Al-Qallaf, blacksmithing, and pottery, in addition to maritime folk arts."

Given the historical ties that connect Gulf countries in general with Tanzania, the official in charge of the Tanzanian pavilion, Ayoub Hilal Saeed, noted that Tanzania was eager to participate in the festival's activities. He added that the Tanzanian pavilion presents the maritime heritage, including the associated industries and tools.

According to the participant from Oman, Abdullah Salem, during his participation in these activities, he displays a variety of rare and antique nautical items that sailors used for personal items on their lengthy voyages. He also displays numerous exhibits that include models of well-known ships from Omani maritime history, tools for extracting pearls, oysters, scales for trolleys, and boxes.