Dhow, the traditional sailing vessel of the Read Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean

1 September 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Tall ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  8 minutes

Dhows Parade during Qatar National Day © flickr.com - Mohamod Fasil/cc-by-2.0

Dhows Parade during Qatar National Day © flickr.com – Mohamod Fasil/cc-by-2.0

Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Historians are divided as to whether the dhow was invented by Arabs or Indians. Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water or merchandise, along the coasts of Eastern Arabia (Arab states of the Persian Gulf), East Africa, Yemen and some parts of South Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh). Larger dhows have crews of approximately thirty, smaller ones typically around twelve.   read more…

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