DHOW - ARAB STATES: 1850

The term dhow is used only in English, to describe a variety of two- and three-masted lateen- or settee-rigged sailing ships, and even some much smaller craft. Such vessels are widely used in the Persian Gulf and all around the Arabian Sea, often venturing much further afield – to Zanzibar and Malaysia, for example. They are characterized by their rig and often have a high-set poop and an undercut transom.

Length: 110ft (33.5m)

Beam: 38ft (11.6m)

Depth: 16ft (4.9m)

Displacement: 280t

Rigging: two masts; lateen rig

Complement: not known

Cargo: general, timber, grain

Routes: Persian Gulf and beyond