One of the teams aboard a traditional dhow arrives on Katara shores at the conclusion of the sixth annual Senyar Championship at Katara Beach
A spectacular ‘Al Gaffal’ ceremony brought the curtains down on the sixth annual Senyar pearl-diving and fishing competition yesterday at the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara’s beachfront.
The popular championship, which attracted 1,100 participants, also saw the participation of 74 teams. The teams were led by the ‘Lead Fisherman’, Mohamed Jawher Al Sulaiti. The overall performance and results of the participating teams surpassed those of the previous editions of the tournament.
The captivating finale saw awards being distributed to the winners of three fishing competitions that were categorised as Al Haddaq, Al Laffah and the biggest fish caught.
Ten winners of the Al Haddaq competition were awarded prizes. First prize went to team Al Nahham, which caught the largest amount of fish which weighed 783kg. The second position was awarded to team Al Janoub, for hauling in the second highest catch of 670kg while Al Wakra came third, having caught 589kg of fish.
In the Al Laffah category, the first prize winner was team Al Uraiq, whic had caught the largest amount of fish weighing 305kg. The second position was awarded to team Al Jasasiyah, for their catch of 296 kg while team Al Jeriyan, having caught 235kg, came in third place.
In addition, team Al Jasasiyah was also declared as the winners of the ‘biggest fish’ competition.
Another highlight of the closing ceremony was a mesmerizing traditional performance that provided the audience a taste of Qatar’s rich maritime heritage.
Visitors to the event were transported back in time, through a performance that mirrored the hopes, expectations, and concerns of the families of pearl divers and fishermen, whose expeditions out into the open seas were often fraught with danger. The climax of the event, apart from the award ceremony, was the sight of numerous dhows approaching the shore, mimicking the arrival of fishermen and divers from bygone days.
The championship, targetedat participants of Qatari nationality as well as other contestants from the GCC countries, reflected the proud place that Qatar’s maritime heritage occupies in the country’s history.
The annual marine heritage competition stems from Katara’s efforts to preserve Qatari culture and heritage, specifically, the values and practices associated with the life of Qatari pearl divers and fisher folk unique to the region, by providing a platform to display their skills.
