Ministries, Official Authorities’ Pavilions at Katara Traditional Dhow Festival Showcase Civilizational Heritage of Boat Making.

Doha: The pavilion of ministries and official authorities participating in the 4th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival is strikingly receiving record turnout from visitors and guests, thereby demonstrating the official interest in marine legacy that constitutes an inveterate part of the State of Qatar's culture and patrimony and strengthens the pride in the life of fathers and forebears in the past, along with inveterate traditions it abounds regarding the sea life. According to Qatar News Agency, those pavilions incredibly enable the visitors to have a glimpse of the civilizational legacy of constructing wooden boats that were used by forefathers in their pursuit of livelihoods and to earn a living, in the era before the discovery of oil and gas. Head of the wooden boats department at the Private Engineering Office and supervisor of the department's pavilion, Hussein Marzouk Al Abdullah, says that the pavilion showcases distinguished models of traditional ships, their names and parts that are made and maintai ned in the regions of Al Ruwais, Al Wakrah, and Al Khor. He noted that the department engages in manufacturing and maintaining many traditional boats based on sizes and designs of ancient heritage models in the office's workshops, in pursuit of preserving the wooden boat industry and nurturing forebears' legacy who used these boats in diverse forms for diving, fishing, travel, and trade. He highlighted that the miniature models showcased at the pavilion aim to familiarize visitors with this industry, as well as the tools utilized in its construction, and their various names, such as the Qallaf (shipwright's tools), adding that each ship has a different name and size, depending on its use, whether for trade, travel, fishing, or pearl diving. A plethora of these ships include Sanbok, Jalboot, Boom, Baghlah, Batil, Baqarah, along with small traditional boats that were used to transport sailors from the shore to open sea, as well as to carry dates, water, rice, and supplies needed by sailors during their journe ys. Al Abdullah praised the extraordinary turnout and the interaction the festival receives from visitors and guests who are so interested in getting familiarized with the types of boats and their diverse names and tools, along with the materials used to make them. Lolwa Abdullah Al Sharshani, supervisor of the Ministry of Municipality's Pavilion at the festival, says that the pavilion showcases miniature models of traditional boats and vessels that were used by forefathers in the past for fishing, pearl diving, trade, and travel to other countries, such as the Sanbok, which is used for fishing, and the Boom, for pearl diving. Al Sharshani noted that the pavilion also showcases the efforts of the Ministry's Fisheries Department in the field of aquaculture, including species like shrimp, Safi, Hamour, Shaam, and Sabeeti, as well as coral reef cultivation carried out by Al Khor Research Center. This includes aquariums containing samples of fish and marine life, along with a documentary film reflecting the Mi nistry's efforts in this field, aimed at increasing production in fish farms and enriching the fish stock in the Ministry of Municipality.