The generic term dhow, or “daou” in Arabic, refers to boats whose common feature is that they are built of wood and rigged with one or more masts with triangular or trapezoidal sails. They differ from each other in size – between 8 and 30 metres in length – as well as in tonnage and stern, which may be square or pointed. Dhows have been used in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean for centuries and are capable of sailing at all speeds. In Qatar, such is the reverence for these boats that a project to renovate a fleet of over forty traditional dhows has been launched by the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC). Every year, Qataris celebrate the dhows with several festivals, including the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival organised every December by the Katara Cultural Village Foundation.