Dhows: Bridges Between Civilizations

Double-masted with a triangular sail, the shape of a Dhow ship is unmistakable. The ship, used during the time of the emerging Silk Road, was important for navigating the unforgiving nature of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, allowing its occupants to engage in fishing and commercial activities efficiently. Originating in the Middle East, the Dhow ships were innovative vessels that have become an iconic and historical legacy in the exchange of culture and goods between the Asian nations of the Middle Eastern region, China, and India. The Islamic Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds artifacts, such as paintings and ewers, which depict Dhows. The cultural impact of the ships, which made a transfer of goods possible between the nations, is undeniable based on the ancient artwork bearing their image and the overall impact of the Silk Road trade.

Iconic as the traditional Arab boat, the Dhows were instrumental in both everyday activities and large-scale trading expeditions. Typically, the Dhow was constructed from wood and had lateen sails, or triangular sails, as opposed to the square sails that were typical in the Atlantic Ocean. Smaller Dhows were used mainly for fishing, while larger Dhows were used to transport heavier items, stored below in the carved-out hull, like “pearls, tortoise-shells, ivory, and rhinoceros horns” (Wood 59). Because most of the wood typically originated in Indian forests, the ships are considered an Indian invention that spread throughout Arab traders as more and more goods became available for trading. There are a variety of specific names given to the ship, as Dhow relates to the style of the long and thin hull, such Al Boum, Al Ghanjah, and Al Badan (Wood 83). Because the Dhow was the traditional Arab boat style, each culture created its own name and spin on the design of the ship.

The cultural impact during the Silk Road period of the Dhows went beyond merely trade capabilities. Dhow shipbuilding has become a modern art practice. The ships are, as shown in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, split in some cases to display the inner ribs of the boat, stacked with ceramics and items for trade. When a new ship was built during the time of the Silk Road, however, the process was tedious and required a highly skilled craftsman. Most Dhow-builders came from family generations of shipbuilders and were expert in the sea regions they frequented. When Dhows were seen approaching, it was known that a trade was happening, bringing with it new goods and cultural inventions (Wood 83). In fact, because Dhows were traditional Arab boats, each civilization had its own style. Often, the shipbuilding techniques of a community would change only after a trade occurred and a new innovation of the visiting Dhow was seen. The importance of the Dhow, apart from its unique and innovative design during the Silk Road period, is that it was the medium through which all cultural trade happened: items were transported, ships were improved, and communities interacted with each other.

Because it was such a tedious task, the final result of the Dhow was a joyous community celebration. A festival was held, and a prayer was said next to the ship before the ship was rolled into the water off its planks. A feast was then given for the men who built the glorious vessel, becoming a community event. The importance in crafting a Dhow was to christen it with the tidings of the community so that the items being traded were blessed with the good luck from the towns. The transfer of goods and ship innovations from town to town during the Silk Road trade was an important cultural interaction that occurred on many levels ranging from community to community, region to region, or nation to nation. The spread of Dhow innovations has led to at least ten different styles of historical ships that are linked to specific Middle Eastern nations today.

Scrolling through the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Islamic Art Collection after taking the virtual tour, it is apparent the impact that Dhows had on the cultural experience during the Silk Road trade. While the items transported were important aspects of the economic health of the civilizations, the mode of transportation became iconic. In the “Ewer with Sailing-ship Design” Turkish artifact, the unique shape of the Dhow is depicted around the entire ceramic ewer (“Ewer”). The long, thin hull and the triangular sail is recognizable immediately, proving the impact of the ship itself. This artifact stood out the most during the virtual tour as it an artistic representation of the Dhow itself as opposed to the goods that were transported using the boat. In fact, it could be surmised that a Dhow, at one time or another, transported the very ceramic ewer.

The Dhow, though not typically considered art, has become a perfected art form of shipbuilding passed down in generations of family, and in today’s society, generations of national pride in cultural trade. These ships bridged the gap between civilizations such as India, China, and the Middle East through their unifying design. Without the Dhow and its large hull, the mass transportation of goods would have been nearly impossible until the square-sail vessels of the Atlantic reached the Middle East and Asia. With that said, the creation of the Chinese bureaucratic system would have slowed without the consistent trade and cultural coming into its ports. The production of the ships were a lifeblood for families of shipbuilders and a key component in the Silk Road trade that enabled the growth of cultures between each other. The ancient trade of Dhow shipbuilding is a sacred and historical tradition in Middle Eastern and Asian communities because it speaks of the glorified history of the Silk Road and expansion.

Works Cited

"Ewer with Sailing-ship Design.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Inside the Collections. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Wood, Frances. The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.