Plural of dhow; large traditional sailing vessels with one or more triangular sails used in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea for trade and fishing.
From Arabic dhow (dhaw), the word entered English through maritime trade in the Indian Ocean. The sailing design dates back centuries and was crucial to Indian Ocean commerce.
Dhows connected Africa, Arabia, India, and Southeast Asia in a trade network that existed for over a thousand years before European colonizers arrived—yet most history classes skip right over this achievement! These ships were designed to maximize monsoon winds perfectly.
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