Friday, February 24, 2023
The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi (TCAA) has launched the 10-day Maritime Heritage Festival 2023 on February 17. The community event aims to take guests back to the beginnings of Emirati coastal life and help them comprehend the country’s history.
The festival, which takes place on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, will conclude on February 26. Every day, hundreds of visitors of all countries, including tourists and locals, are anticipated at the event.
In addition to the usual festival highlights, the festival includes an exciting mix of educational and fun experiences, such as exhibitions of pearl diving, ancient sea life, meetings with marine experts, and listening to inspiring stories passed down through generations in the Heritage Guardians area. Everyday activities include anything from interactive games and seminars to marketplaces and delectable desserts.
Visitors may learn how the city’s residents lived in peace with the sea, creating a sustainable and attractive way of life and cultivating talents that were passed down through generations, such as fishing, trade, and pearl diving.
Malallah Mohammed Ibrahim Alhammadi, one of the festival’s oldest participants, was asked by TCAA to demonstrate the significance of the paddle. A well-made paddle is essential in a (mahmal) – a type of wooden ship.
Mr Mallah noted that they didn’t have motors or carbon-fibre body boats back then. They employed a special form of wood that was incredibly light and could easily float. He went on to say that, while the wood used to create the traditional boat is vital, how the sides of the boat and the paddle are knotted is much more crucial, since it may cost a sailor his life.
Ahmed Mohammed Alhammadi is another participant who specialises in making fish cages, often known as “the sea jail” (qarqoor), Gulf News reported. Ahmed mentioned that when he was a youngster he built this cage out of wood that would sink to the bottom and had a one-way entrance for fish to be caught in.
He went on to say that the cage was one of the most significant equipment found in practically every Emirati house near the water at the time since it was a survival gear.
Ahmed also had cages for several sorts of fish, such as hammour and grey mullet. He stated that the cage for the latter was designed differently and featured a separate trap door. Ahmed said that this was due to the fact that some fish were smarter than others, and you couldn’t fool them all the same way.
In a statement to Gulf News, social media activist Saif Al Qubaisi expressed his delight at attending the Maritime Heritage Festival exhibition, and stated his profound respect for the contents and exhibits he witnessed dating back to the era before oil for UAE society.
“Anyone wants to understand an element of the Emirates’ tradition and history, particularly the lives of the inhabitants of the sea in the past, must attend this exhibition,” he said.
Tags: Abu Dhabi Tourism
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