Dhows berthed near Katara beach
Doha
A dhow trip will sail off soon from Qatar's shores to India's coasts, the organising committee of the fourth Traditional Dhow Festival announced Friday. It will be the second 'Fateh Al Khair'
"Preparations have started for the upcoming trip, as ‘Fateh Al Khair 2’ is a long trip that will be carried out in the old, traditional way. That is the whole point of the journey; to allow the crew on board to relive our founding fathers’ experience with all of its details and nuances", said Dr Khaled Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, general manager, Katara.
Ahmed al-Hitmi, director of the organising committee, said that since the 1940s, boats sailed to and fro between the Arabian coast, including Qatar, and India. "Today, from Katara's beach, we announce the launch of the second 'Fateh Al Khair' dhow trip in the near future, after the first voyage cruised around the Gulf ports. The festival's guests bear witness to the beginning of our preparations for the trip, which will return to our shores, this time not with goods and gifts, but with tales and memories," he added.
'Fateh Al Khair 2' will reportedly be the first cruise to India in around 60 years. The first 'Fateh Al Khair' trip was considered a historic voyage of the Arabian Gulf. The dhow cruised along the region's ports, including the Abu Dhabi port in the UAE as well as the Musandam and Khasab ports in Oman, where it received an official welcome with popular songs and traditional features, before returning to Qatar, to participate in the country's National Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, the festival's fine arts competition, held in association with the Qatar Fine Arts Society, continued to receive the artwork from the participants, with more than 30 people participating from different countries and backgrounds.
As for the best photograph and painting competitions, November 30 will be the last day to receive the artwork. The photographs delivered must not exceed six high-quality images in JPEG or TIFF format (300 DPI). Radical changes to the photographs are not allowed, while simple retouches are acceptable. The winners will be selected by an expert committee.
The fourth Traditional Dhow Festival comes to an end today. The closing ceremony will feature, 'Al Qafal' heritage festival, which embodies the return of the divers to their homeland. Al Qafal will celebrate the return of the ten teams participating in the pearl diving competition to Katara's seashore after three days of sailing off on Thursday.
