Katara General Manager Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (second from right) along with other officials during the opening of Katara Traditional Dhow Museum.
Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation, Katara inaugurated Thursday the Katara Traditional Dhow Museum as part of activities associated with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The museum showcased the ships used by ancestors in Qatar and the Gulf region on their fishing and pearl diving, transport of goods, trade and travel, diving tools, boats and the means used by sailors and blades used in manufacturing wooden ships.
Speaking exclusively to Qatar News Agency (QNA), General Manager of Katara, Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti said they sought to make the museum integrated in displaying everything related to the marine heritage in Qatar and the region in general.
He added that the museum presents the various models of traditional ships used for dividing by ancestors, pointing out that Katara, after 12 years of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival which is held annually under the patronage of H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, sought to establish a permanent place to educate the public, especially the current generation, and link it to the history of their country.
The museum aims to identify the difficulties and obstacles faced by ancestors during their four-month pearl diving, and to convey to the new generations how life evolved from these stages to the stage of renaissance and prosperity currently witnessed, Al Sulaiti said. He said that the museum will continue and there will be cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, to organise trips for the different educational stages to view the museums holdings, which provide a full explanation of the marine heritage, indicating that the museum also contains natural and cultured pearls.
Katara was keen to document the maritime heritage, mostly through this Festival, or through publishing related books, he said, noting that there are new projects related to marine heritage to be presented during the 2023 Traditional Dhow Festival.
The museum is a valuable opportunity for the public to see all the ancient methods and equipment used by divers in the depths of the waters to get pearls, in addition to discovering various diving activities.
The Cultural Village Foundation is currently hosting the 12th Traditional Dhow Festival with the participation of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Yemen, Türkiye, India, and Tanzania.
