Cover -- Seafaring in the Arabian Gulf and Oman -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- Transliteration System -- Note -- Acknowledgements -- List of illustrations, Tables and Maps -- 1. The Present Study -- 2. The Dhow -- 3. The Northern Arabian and the People of the Sea -- 4. Oman and its Seafarers Gateway to the Indian Ocean -- 5. The Dhow Industry -- 6. The Routes to West India and East Africa -- 7. The Crew of an Ocean-going Dhow -- 8. The Pearldivers and Crew -- 9. The Principles of Navigation -- 10. Getting Ready: Steering and Rigging -- 11. Braving the Winds -- 12. The Sea: Portraying the Reality -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- General Index -- Index of Arabic Terms
Summary
This book is a study of the seafaring communities of the Arabian Gulf and Oman in the past 150 years. It analyses the significance of the dhow and how coastal communities interacted throughout their long tradition of seafaring. In addition to archival material, the work is based on extensive field research in which the voices of seamen were recorded in over 200 interviews. The book provides an integrated study of dhow activity in the area concerned and examines the consciousness of belonging to the wider culture of the Indian ocean as it is expressed in boat-building traditions, navi
