Dhow

Dhow Latest News

An Indian sailor was killed and several others injured after their wooden dhow caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz recently.

About Dhow

• A dhow is a traditional wooden sailing vessel used mainly in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and along the coasts of East Africa and the Middle East. 
• A dhow has a long, narrow hull and is propelled only by its sail.
• Historians aren’t sure who invented the dhow — Indians or Arabs — but they do know the first ones appeared before 600 C.E. 
• The dhow has been a central part of maritime trade, fishing, and culture for countries like Oman, Yemen, India, and coastal regions of East Africa.  
• Today the term generally refers to all sailing ships in that region with one or two masts and triangular or quadrilateral-shaped sails. 
• Bows are sharp, with a forward and upward thrust, and the sterns of the larger dhows may be windowed and decorated. 

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Key Facts about Beypore Uru

• It is a wooden dhow handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore town, Kozhikode district, Kerala.
• Beypore urus are purely made of wood, without using any modern techniques, and traditional methods are used to launch these ships into the water.
• The carpenters manually join each piece of wood to build the large boat.
• Uru making in Beypore is a centuries-old tradition that was established since India began its maritime trade with Mesopotamia.
• Arab traders were among the first major patrons of these vessels.
• Usually an Uru is built by a team of fifty men over a period of at least four years. 
• No blueprints are made and the entire aspect of shipbuilding is embedded in the minds of the highly skilled shipwrights.  
• Khalasis are a group of people traditionally involved in the construction of Urus. 

Source: TH