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Indian Ocean Dhow

Type Object Region Indian Ocean Time c. 600–1900

The dhow is a one- or two-masted sailing vessel dominant along the Arabian and Indian Ocean coasts, with stitched or hybrid hull construction, relyin…

Timeline

  1. c. 600–1000Persian Gulf–West Coast of India · Persian GulfDhow-type sailboats traveled between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports with the monsoons; Muslim merchants established trading posts in Kilwa, Calicut, and elsewhere, forming a cross-religious Indian Ocean trade network.
  2. c. 1121–1130Indian Ocean shipping lanes · the whole worldIn the 1120s, dhows carried Indian cotton cloth, spices, and African ivory back and forth during the monsoon windows; Chola and Arab merchants shared port tariffs and escort arrangements, maintaining the highest-frequency intercontinental sea transport of the pre-industrial era.
  3. c. 1200–1800Entire Indian Ocean · Southeast AsiaAfter the Mongol unification, some goods shifted to overland routes, but dhows maintained their dominant position in the Indian Ocean until modern steamships and the colonial port system changed the maritime landscape.

Sources