The proud Arabian Dhow

The Arabian dhow is a graceful sailing craft that combines practicality with speed and ruggedness. The coastal people of long ago were well known in the region for the prowess of their sailors and the sleek lines of their vessels. Pearling also depended upon dhows but the craft used were designed more as working platforms and places to live for months on end than as ocean voyagers. The purpose for which a traditional wooden vessel was intended greatly influenced its design. Today, craftsmen can still be seen along the coast of Dubai, building working boats, racing dhows and pleasure boats whose vast sails evoke an earlier era when transport by sailing boats was the main means for many people to visit the UAE, or to move along its shores. The long boats seen on ceremonial occasions in the UAE, with their multiple rows of oarsmen, draw their inspiration from a considerable time ago.

The traditional Dhow, a wooden sailing vessel, has become a symbol synonymous with Dubai. Walking along the creek-side in Deira, one can still see much evidence of this sea-faring heritage. Dhow racing (sail and oar powered) still takes place regularly throughout the year on the waters in and around Dubai.