Omani Maritime Heritage Festival, hosted by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, attracted hundreds of visitors to the Sur beach as scores of passionate Omani and expatriate kite flyers decorated the seaside with colourful kites just as kids tried their hands at the art of kite flying.
Oman Kite Team captain Mohammed, secretary Khalid, six other members along with One India Kite Team’s Abdulla Maliyekkal and Kerala Kite’s Abbas Kalathil flew kites of various shapes and sizes for hours.
Circle shaped kite, which have spars in only one plane and are flat when laid on the ground; soft kites without spars, which use the force of the wind to form their structure; cellular, dimensional kites with spars that provide a rigid 3-dimensional structure adorned Sur skies for hours engaging a huge crowd throughout the event.
“We have been flying kites for nearly ten years now, and opportunities like Sur Maritime Festival is an occasion where we can show our loyalty to the country and the people through the kites,” said members of the Oman Kite Team, based in Suwaiq, which has already taken part in many festivals across the world.
The 17-day-long festival, organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of South Al Sharqiyah and a number of government and private agencies, Oman India Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO) and Oman LNG Company in the Wilayat of Sur from February 3 to 19 includes a plethora of activities.
“It is our dream project to conduct kite-flying competitions across the world, and we have participated in China, Malaysia and Japan kite fests, besides many other festivals. The opportunity in Sur through the authorities to fly kites is a rare honour for us, and we thank them for conducting a flawless kite festival. Indeed, Sur has a very windy beach and is suitable for kite flying events,” said members of the One India Kite.
Other attractions of the festival include a Maritime Heritage Village offers a kaleidoscopic view of the maritime heritage of the Wilayat of Sur. It also has a pavilion dedicated to maritime heritage, craft industries related to marine heritage, folklore, live theatre, recreational and cultural events.
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