People watch a dhow being introduced into the waters yesterday.
DOHA: The Private Engineering Office (PEO) launched four traditional dhows yesterday in a bid to keep alive the marine heritage of the country and to provide additional boats to ferry the guests of the hotels at Suq Al Waqif
The inaugural ceremony was held at dhows unit located at Sharq Area, which was attended by several officials and senior citizens.
The boats were built in six months under the supervision of Qatari experts, said Ali Saed Al Kuwari, a senior officer at PEO in a press release yesterday.
Several senior citizens have been invited to introduce the dhows into water in a traditional way to follow the foot paths of their forefathers.
“We plan to build some bigger dhows in the future and the type and size of them will be announced later. This will encourage citizens to own traditional dhows in a bid to follow the tradition of the country,” said Al Kuwari.
With the launch of the boats, the number of boats serving the guests of hotels at Suq Al Waqif reached seven. They are taking sea trips in two shifts, morning and evening.
A separate marine museum including marine history of Qatar and traditional diving gears should be set up to showcase the rich marine heritage of Qatar, proposed Mohammad Jasem Al Khulaifi, Advisor at Qatar Museum Authority who was present at the ceremony.
The Peninsula
