You see this all the time.
Every other standard itinerary of Dubai that you get from
your local travel agent or an online travel services provider lists
a “Dhow Cruise,” in the city as one of the highlights of your trip.
You just can’t escape it.Some rave about it.
Some hate being trapped on a boat for hours.
Some are just indifferent to the whole experience.
The Dhow Cruise is impossible to escape from.
It’s one of those things in Dubai that you end up doing.
Yet, what really is a Dhow?
We decided to track the Dhow down to find out.
Dhows are ancient Arabic boats
that were used for fishing and commercial activities.
The Arab dhow is one of the world’s most graceful sailing crafts
and the skill of these sailors something that we could only admire,
giving that they had no GPS or satellite phones to aid their sailing.
Arguments abound online if the dhow was invented by Indians or Arabs.
But dig a little deeper and it might even be
that the dhow might have originated in China.
Whatever the origin,
these boats with the standout long hulls were
used to transport products like fruits and fresh water
to countries that lay dotted along the Arabian Sea.
Countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.
The wood for most of the dhows typically comes from India.
There are many names for dhows among Arabs,
who tend to distinguish boats based on the shape of their hull.
Names that almost seem to echo a whiff of poetry:
gaghalah, ganja, sanbuuq, jihaazi, buum, zaaruuq, and badan.
Dhow-making is an art – a skill carefully handed down over generations.
While the dhows you take on your Dubai cruise are
made only for cruising down the city’s creek,
there are still some commercial dhows in operation.
Some of them make a long journey from
the Persian Gulf to East Africa carrying cargo such as dates.
When you take your Dubai dhow cruise, and while
Arabic music wafts gently over Dubai’s shimmering waters,
think for a while and reflect that you are a part of history.
A history that has carried with it the lure of commerce,
the magic of trade, and the attraction of distant lands.
You will never see a dhow cruise in the same light again.
Interested in taking a Dhow cruise in Dubai?
Want to experience offbeat Dubai with a heady culture adrenaline in Hatta?
Check our Dubai tour or just write to us and
we will customize a Dhow package for you.
Further reading:
This wonderful article had us enthralled.
A detailed introduction into dhow boat-making.
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