Dhow

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Swahili Coast
Fishermen's dhows moored at Dubai in 2014

Dhow (

Arabic: داو, romanizeddāwa; Marathi: dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region.[1][2] Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels primarily used to carry heavy items, such as fruit, fresh water, or other heavy merchandise, along the coasts of Eastern Arabia,[3] East Africa, Yemen and coastal South Asia
(Pakistan, India, Bangladesh). Larger dhows have crews of approximately thirty, smaller ones typically around twelve.

History

The exact origins of the dhow are lost to history. Most scholars believe that it originated in India from 600 BC to 600 AD, although there are some who claim that the sanbuk, a type of dhow, may be derived from the Portuguese caravel.[4][5] However, Portuguese caravels only appeared in the area in the late 15th century.

The dhow was the ship of trade first used by the

Yong Le's court, in 1414.[6] Another source suggests the ship that carried the giraffe to China was part of a large Chinese fleet led by Zheng He.[7]

Ships that are similar to the dhow are mentioned or described in the

1001 Nights including various ports where they harboured. The dhow is also associated with the pearl trade.[citation needed
]

The Yemeni

Hadhrami people, as well as Omanis, for centuries came to Beypore, in Kerala, India for their dhows. This was because of the good timber in the Kerala forests, the availability of good coir rope, and the skilled shipwrights. In former times, the sheathing planks of a dhow's hull were held together by coconut rope. Beypore dhows are known as 'Uru' in Malayalam, the local language of Kerala. Settlers from Yemen, known as 'Baramis', or 'Daramis' which could be derived from the word 'Hardamis' are still active in making urus in Kerala.[citation needed
]

Dhows were extensively used for the Indian Ocean slave trade, which the Royal Navy attempted to suppress. In his 1873 book, Captain G. L. Sulivan described "four different kinds of coasting dhows, as shown in the engravings, viz. the Bateele, the Badane, Bugala or genuine Dhow, and the Matapa boat".[8]

Since the 20th century

In the 1920s, British writers identified Al Hudaydah as the centre for dhow building. Those built in Al Hudaydah were smaller in size, and used for travel along the coasts. They were constructed of acacia found in Yemen.[9] They are distinguishable for their smaller triangular sails on movable bases to harvest the irregular winds of the Red Sea.[10]

Captain Alan Villiers (1903–1982) documented the days of sailing trade in the Indian Ocean by sailing on dhows between 1938 and 1939 taking numerous photographs and publishing books on the subject of dhow navigation.[11][12]

Even to the present day, dhows make commercial journeys between the

dates and fish to East Africa and mangrove timber to the lands in the Persian Gulf. They often sail south with the monsoon in winter or early spring, and back again to Arabia in late spring or early summer.[citation needed
]

Navigation

For celestial navigation, dhow sailors have traditionally used the

Types

A Shu'ai in the Persian Gulf
  • Arabic language word for "mule
    ". A heavy ship, the traditional deep-sea dhow.
  • Baqarah or baggarah (بقارة) – from the Arabic word for "cow". Old type of small dhow similar to the Battil.[14]
  • Barijah – small dhow.[15]
  • Battil (بتيل) – featured long stems topped by large, club-shaped stem heads.
  • Badan – a smaller vessel requiring a shallow draft.[16]
  • Boum (بوم) or dhangi – a large-sized dhow with a stern that is tapering in shape and a more symmetrical overall structure. The Arab boum has a very high prow, which is trimmed in the Indian version.[17]
  • Ghanjah (غنجة) or kotiya – a large vessel, similar to the Baghlah, with a curved stem and a sloping, ornately carved transom.[18]
  • Jahazi or jihazi (جهازي). A fishing or trading dhow with a broad hull similar to the jalibut, common in Lamu Island and the coast of Oman. It is also used in Bahrain for the pearl industry.[19] The word comes from jahāz (جهاز), a Persian word for "ship".[20]
  • Jaliboot or jelbut (جالبوت). A small to medium-sized dhow. It is the modern version of the shu'ai with a shorter prow stem piece. Most jalibuts are fitted with engines.
  • Patamar, a type of Indian dhow.
  • Greek σαμβύκη sambúkē, ultimately from Middle Persian sambūk. [22]
  • Shu'ai (شوعي). Medium-sized dhow. Formerly the most common dhow in the Persian Gulf used for fishing as well as for coastal trade.
  • Zaruq – small dhow, slightly larger than a barijah[23]
  • Dhoni – Maldivian traditional multi-purpose sail vessel.

The term "dhow" is sometimes also applied to certain smaller lateen-sail rigged boats traditionally used in the

Swahili Coast, in countries such as Kenya, the Swahili word used for dhow is "jahazi".[1]

Museums

The Kuwaiti Maritime Museum in Salmiya, Kuwait, holds replicas of a number of different types of dhows.[25]

The

Guinness World Record
as the largest wooden dhow ever built; it has never been floated and is used for events.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Briggs, Philip. "Dhows of the Swahili coast". Zanzibar Travel Guide. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  2. ^ "The History & construction of the dhow". Nabataea. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  3. ^ Bowen, Richard Lebaron (1949). "Arab Dhows of Eastern Arabia".
  4. ^ Taylor, James. "Traditional Arab sailing ships". The British-Yemeni Society. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  5. ^ Sanbuk – Robert's Model ships and boats
  6. .
  7. ^ Duyvendak, JJL (1938). The True Dates of the Chinese Maritime Expeditions in the Early Fifteenth Century. pp. 341–413.
  8. ^ Sulivan, G.L. (1873). Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters and on the Eastern Coast of Africa: Narrative of Five Years' Experiences in the Suppression of the Slave Trade. S. Low, Marston, Low & Searle. p. 102. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  9. ^ Prothero, GW (1920). Arabia. London: HM Stationery Office. p. 99.
  10. ^ "صناعة القوارب". yemen-nic.info. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  11. OCLC 61478193
    .
  12. .
  13. ^ "Ancient Sailing and Navigation". Nabataea.net. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  14. ^ "The Traditional Dhow". Oman: Ministry of Information. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  15. ^ Hourani, George Fadlo; Carswell, John (1995), Arab Seafaring in the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times, Princeton University Press.
  16. ^ "Dhows", China, Facts & details, archived from the original on 22 September 2013, retrieved 4 October 2011.
  17. ^ "Dhow Ship – Types", Marine engineering, Bright hub, archived from the original on 25 November 2010, retrieved 14 March 2010.
  18. ^ "Ghanjah", Cog and Galley ships, archived from the original on 25 April 2012, retrieved 4 October 2011.
  19. ^ Dhow sailing in Kenya, UK: Diani beach, archived from the original on 24 July 2012.
  20. ^ Agius 2008, p. 316.
  21. ^ Oman, a Seafaring Nation, Oman: Ministry of Information, 1979.
  22. ^ Agius 2008, p. 314.
  23. ^ Xavier, Sandy. "Zaruq". CA: Sympatico. Archived from the original on 5 October 2003. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  24. .
  25. ^ Ben Garcia (19 August 2021). "Preserving and protecting Kuwait's maritime heritage". Kuwait Times.

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

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