Echoes of Sinbad the sailor: Flickr photo of the day
Since ancient times, Arab merchant dhows, carrying dates and fish, have sailed down the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean (a voyage of over a thousand miles) to Zanzibar, the fabled city-state on the northeast coast of Africa. Even today the sturdy simple boats still ply the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea.
Thought to have originated in China over two thousand years ago, the venerable dhow made its way to India, where Yemeni sailors purchased them. Back home in Yemen, boat builders began constructing the large boats from native Acacia trees. With its large lateen sail and wide beam, the dhow became ubiquitous, carrying crews of salty sailors, like Sinbad, on exciting voyages to faraway lands.
Lee Sanborn photographed a dhow sailing into Stone Town, Zanzibar.
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