what were dhow ships used for

Full Answer

Are dhow ships still used today?

Dhow ships are still used in many countries around the world, mostly those in the regions between Persian Gulf and East Africa. Dhow ships are known as innovative sailing vessels that have a raised hull and a sharp pointed bow. Made from wood, dhows usually have minimum two triangular sails.

What was the purpose of the dhow?

Its primary uses were fishing and trade, remaining close to shore. “Arab Bhum or Dhow, 9th Century CE,” 1991-1993, by William F. Wiseman, The Mariners’ Museum.

What is a dhow boat?

The term "dhow" is sometimes also applied to certain smaller lateen-sail rigged boats traditionally used in the Red Sea, the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf area, as well as in the Indian Ocean from Madagascar to the Bay of Bengal.

How were the sails of a dhow made?

The earliest sails were made by weaving palm leaves together, however later on cotton was also used. Generally all the dhows used to have two pairs of sails - One for night and rough weather condition and other for daily use during daytime. Though the dhow sails used to look triangular in shape they were in fact quadrilateral.

When was the dhow used?

Early versions of the vessel typically were pointed at both ends, but later versions had a square stern. The dhow was not designed for combat or deep-sea sailing. Its primary uses were fishing and trade, remaining close to shore. “Arab Bhum or Dhow, 9th Century CE,” 1991-1993, by William F.

What were dhow ships?

dhow, also spelled Dow, one- or two-masted Arab sailing vessel, usually with lateen rigging (slanting, triangular sails), common in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. On the larger types, called baggalas and booms, the mainsail is considerably bigger than the mizzensail.

How did dhow ships help trade?

The dhow trade was particularly important in the western Indian Ocean, where those vessels could take advantage of the monsoon winds; a great variety of products were transported between ports on the coast of East Africa and ports on the Arabian Peninsula and on the west coast of India (notably Mumbai, Mangaluru ( ...

Why was the dhow important for trading?

Moving up and down the East African coast, the dhows stopped at ports along the way, trading goods and ferrying passengers. Before the onset of steam and later petrol, these wind-powered ships were the cornerstones of a pulsating and cosmopolitan ocean trade.

Are dhows still used?

The dhow has been fixed in the Western imagination as a romantic Arabian seacraft of the past, but, apart from the fact that they are still used for the transport of goods even today, they are also undergoing a dramatic revival, among sailors in the UAE who don't want to lose their traditional past.

How fast can a dhow sail?

20 knotsThe 60ft class boats weight only 1–3 tons and the speed can easily exceed 20 knots, which makes them attractive both to sailors and spectators. Compared to modern yachts, large dhows are very unsta- ble because they are built without a weighted keel.

How does a dhow work?

Dhow ships are known as innovative sailing vessels that have a raised hull and a sharp pointed bow. Made from wood, dhows usually have minimum two triangular sails. Many dhows even have single large sail that not only facilitate easy sailing but also provide excellent power to the boat.

What helped dhows to sail across Indian Ocean?

Travel across the Indian Ocean was seasonal. The northeast monsoon winds of December and January brought dhows south towards Zanzibar and Madagascar. The July southwest monsoon drove winds from the south and west, from east Africa towards Oman, the Persian Gulf, and India.

What does the dhow symbolize?

Dhow: A symbol of the UAE's history. Before oil was discovered in the Arabian Peninsula, the UAE's main business was fishing and pearl diving. These boats took the fishermen and pearl divers out to sea so that they could do their work.

How did dhow ships transform the culture of the Indian Ocean region?

Technological developments like the dhow ship, would help transform the culture of the Indian Ocean region by connecting areas from across the ocean. This would lead to more travel and trade between these areas and eventually cultural diffusion which would enrich and change the cultures in the Indian Ocean region.

What does the word dhows mean?

Definition of dhow : an Arab lateen-rigged boat usually having a long overhang forward, a high poop, and a low waist.

What is a dhow?

Overview. Gallery. “Dhow” was the name that westerners gave to the ships they saw in the Indian Ocean. The dhow is a very old type of ship; they have been in use since the Greeks were in power. No one knows who originally designed the dhow.

What shape were the ships of the Arabs?

Their hulls were stitched together and their sails were a triangular (lateen) shape . Early versions of the vessel typically were pointed at both ends, but later versions had a square stern.

What is a dhow ship?

Dhows are ancient two-masted sailing boats that were used especially in the Middle East regions. Generally known as traditional Arab boats, dhows were used in the olden times for trading goods and fishing activities.

Where are dhows used?

Dhow ships are still used in many countries around the world, mostly those in the regions between Persian Gulf and East Africa.

What are the two main types of dhows?

It is said that though until now varied forms of dhows have been built throughout the world, dhows can only be classified into two main types -. Shu’ai. Boum. Shu’ai is supposed to be known as the smallest of the dhows. Generally used for fishing activities, these boats had a stern area higher than the bow area.

What instruments were used in the early days of navigation?

We have learned about various aspects of ancient shipping, including instruments such as mercator charts, sextant, chronometer and magnetic compass for navigation in the earlier days.

What is a boum boat?

Generally used for fishing activities, these boats had a stern area higher than the bow area. Boum is also a form of dhow but was used for both fishing and commercial purposes during the ancient time. However, the structure of boum is quite different from other types of dhows.

What are the features of a Dhow boat?

The dhow was known for two distinctive features. First of all, it’s triangular or lateen sail, and secondly, for it’s stitched construction. Stitched boats were made by sewing the hull boards together with fibers, cords or thongs. The idea of a boat made up of planks sewn together seems strange.

Where did the Dhow come from?

Despite their historical attachment to Arab traders, dhows are essentially an Indian boat, with much of the wood for their construction coming from the forests of India.

What type of sail did the Arabs use?

The lateen sail used by Arabs stops short of being completely triangular. Their sails retained a luff at the fore part in proportion to the leech of roughly 1-6 in the mainsail. The retention of this luff added a much greater area of sail to be hoisted than would a completely triangular design.

What are the boats that sail in the Indian Ocean called?

For many centuries, boats that sailed on the Indian Ocean were called dhows. While there were many different types of dhows, almost all of them used a triangular or lateen sail arrangement. This made them markedly different than the ships that evolved on the Mediterranean. These ships had a characteristic square sail.

When did the lateen rigs arrive?

There is some evidence that a fore-and-aft lateen rig arrived in the Aegean Sea from the 2nd century onward, and in the Persian Gulf around this time. The masts and rigging of the dhow was similar in all types of dhows, with added rigging in larger vessels.

What were sails made of?

It is thought that originally sails were woven from coconut of palm leaves, and that eventually cotton cloth became the favorite for merchants on long voyages.

Where were boats sewn?

A Greek sea captain or merchant who wrote in the first century AD reports the use of small sewn boats off Zanzibar and off the southern coast of Arabia. Marco Polo saw sewn boats at Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

What is the unique thing about dhows?

What was especially unique about the dhows is that the planks were stitched together using rope or coir (a coconut fibre), instead of hammered with nails. Cotton soaked in coconut oil is also used to stuff any gaps, expanding when wet and keeping leaks out. Zambezi Truth, Victoria Falls.

When did the Dhows start?

By reading through ancient Greek texts we see reference to these dhows dating back as far as 600 BC. Still today, dhows set off on journeys between the Arabian Gulf and East Africa, using only the wind in their sails for propulsion.

Where is the Dhow found?

The word dhow is actually a generic term for a variety of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails (a classic triangular-shaped sail attached to a cross beam that is raised and lowered according to the winds) found in the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea.

Where are dhows from?

These are dhows, a traditional East African boat that has been sailing those very waters for millennia.

Where are East African dhows?

In Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River, you can find our 2 East African dhows sailing gently up and downstream, carrying travellers from around the world on a journey of bliss with no set destination or purpose – other than enjoying the magnificent surroundings and taking the opportunity to find stillness and peace.

What were the masts and yards made of?

The masts and yards were originally made of coconut wood and teak from India, but now a larger variety can be used. Sails were probably woven from coconut or palm leaves and the arrival of cotton (which was also from India) made longer voyages possible.

Who invented the dhow?

Some historians claim the dhow was invented by Arabs or Indians. Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows were trading vessels primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water or merchandise, along the coasts of the Arab countries, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and East Africa. Larger dhows have crews of approximately 30, ...

Where did the dhow originate?

The exact origins of the dhow are lost to history. Most scholars believe that it originated in China between 600 BCE to 600 CE. Some claim that the sambuk, a type of dhow, may be derived from the Portuguese caravel. Unfortunately, there is almost no pictorial evidence of early dhows.

What is a lateen sail?

The lateen sail on the dhow looks triangular to the casual observer, but in fact it is quadrilateral and is correctly termed a settee sail . It was made of several pieces of cloth, sewn parallel to luff and leech. Different types of sail were made according to requirements: a sail wanted for reaching would be made less flat and with a fuller luff than a sail wanted for beating.

How are stitched boats made?

Stitched boats were made by sewing the hull boards together with fibres, cords or thongs. The idea of a boat made up of planks sewn together seems strange, though this type of construction was popular in many parts of the world and in some places still is.

What were sails made of?

It is thought that originally sails were woven from coconut of palm leaves, and that eventually cotton cloth became the favourite for merchants on long voyages.

Where did the lateen sail originate?

It is assumed by some that the lateen sail developed on the Red Sea, and spread from there to the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf.

Where do dhows travel?

Even to the present day, dhows make commercial journeys between the Arabian Gulf and East Africa using sails as their only means of propulsion. Their cargo is mostly dates and fish to East Africa and mangrove timber to the lands in the Gulf.

Overview

History

The exact origins of the dhow are lost to history. Some claim that the sambuk, a type of dhow, may be derived from the Portuguese caravel.
The dhow was the ship of trade used by the Swahili. It was a dhow that transported a giraffe to Chinese Emperor Yong Le's court, in 1414. Another source suggests the ship that carried the giraffe to China was part of a large Chinese fleet led by Zheng He.

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