The 5th edition of Halal Qatar festival for sheep and goats is set to conclude on Sunday at Katara, the Cultural Village Foundation.

The festival, open daily to the public from 9am to noon and 3pm to 10pm, has been attracting a large number of visitors from all walks of life, including school children.

The organisers have described the event as an excellent opportunity for the visitors to get a glimpse into the culture, tradition and heritage of the region and how life was in the olden days.

A number of GCC citizens are taking part in the various events of the festival with their distinctive breeds of goats and sheep. The festival includes a daily competition for the best and most beautiful breed of goats and sheep. The owners of the animals display them before a jury.

The top 10 contestants are to be awarded with a shield and a cash prize each. The top prize is QR100,000, followed by QR50,000 (second), QR30,000 (third), QR15,000 (fourth), QR10,000 (fifth), and QR5,000 (fifth to 10th places).

The festival includes a number of mini barns where various breeds of sheep and goats are displayed for public viewing. The architecture and design of the venue of the festival is in the traditional style, a throwback to the old desert days, when livestock was one of the key economic activities in the country.

There are Arabic cafes in traditional tents, which have ceilings made from palm tree fronds. Visitors can recline and relax on traditional rugs to enjoy a taste of Arabic coffee. Children have various activities to enjoy such as horse and camel riding, a kids play area and colouring and face painting. They can watch of a number of documentaries on traditional desert life. There is also a display of some lizards, ostriches, rabbits and some types of birds.

There are food counters offering Qatari dishes. The festival has a souq where visitors can buy a number of special products such as high quality honey, dates, clothes and gifts.

A number of diplomats have visited the venue and expressed their admiration for such a unique blend of modern and traditional ways of life.




Traditional cafes help visitors to experience the old way of life
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