Indigenous fishing craft of Oman

The International Journal of Nautical Archaeologj~ (1 997) 26.3: 2 17-235

Indigenous fishing craft of Oman

Tom Vosmer Western Australian Maritime Museum, ClifJ Street, Frenzantle, Western Australia 61 60

Introduction Placed astride maritime trade routes link- ing Mesopotamia, southern Asia, the Far East, the Mediterranean and East Africa, Oman has enjoyed a commanding position in the shipping world of the Middle East for centuries (Fig. 1). The 1700 km coast- line with its numerous harbours, and the difficulty of travel inland through rugged mountains or harsh desert encouraged the development of a vigorous and dynamic maritime tradition, which saw the evolution of a number of vessel designs. These distinct yet related designs display features influenced by use, local conditions, culture, external influences and personal taste. Recent archaeological evidence points directly to a maritime tradition using some present-day features which were already well-established by the third millennium BC (Cleuziou & Tosi, 1993). Some of the vessels which exist today are thus probably direct descendants of the early craft. In any case, those that remain are an essential component of the heritage of Oman.

For 4 years, staff of the Western Australian Maritime Museum, with support from Earthwatch, the Royal Navy of Oman, the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, the Australian Research Council and several Omani businesses, have been conducting research into the indigenous vessels of the Sultanate.

The research has involved the documen- tation of vessels by taking lines, studying and recording construction features and procedures, taking samples of materials

1057-2414197/030217+ 19 $25.0010 na970088

(timber, caulking, coatings and fastenings) for identification, making photographs and video, and interviewing boatbuilders, fishermen and sailors.

Lines were taken by a number of different methods, dependant on the size and situation of the vessel being recorded, as well as on the equipment and the number of personnel available. Most often lines were taken by direct measurement using tape measures, plumb bobs and levels, measuring to a pre-set datum line at stations along the hull length. However, during the 1994 and 1995 expeditions, an EDM (Electronic Distance Measuring) device in combination with a theodolite was used to log distances and angles from the machine to pre-selected points of the hull surface. No matter which system was used, the measurements were converted into X, Y, and Z coordinates which were then fed into a Macintosh computer. Using the naval architecture program MaxSurf, the hull shape was generated and then analysed for displacement, stability, hydrostatics and powering requirements.

Construction features were carefully studied, noting and recording joinery, scantlings, fastenings and general configuration. Boatbuilders (most no longer active) were interviewed to clarify procedures, techniques and building traditions. Fishermen and sailors were interviewed to gain insights into the uses, handling and capabilities of the vessels, as well as to dis- cover ceremonies and religious or supersti- tious beliefs associated with maritime life.

0 1997 The Nautical Archaeology Society

NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 26.3

Figure 1. Map of Oman, showing regional position and general distribution of boat types.

Nearly 200 vessels of various types were logged. This article discusses the design, construction and evolution of six types of Omani indigenous vessel: the fishing battil bahwy, battil qarib, zarooqa, badan, baggarah, and the kambari, often called the sewn sambuk (Fig. 2). These are only six of at least 14 discrete designs that are, or until recently were, found in Oman. They are probably the most pure of Omani designs, demonstrating the least external influence. Certainly the badan appears to be uniquely an Omani creation, although its operational range extended throughout the Gulf and to East Africa (Bowen, 1949: 48;

218

Hornell, 1942: 29). The fishing battil and its cognates have been evident in other parts of the Gulf, but now appear confined exclusively to the Musandam region of Oman.

Like all archetypal Omani boats, these six are double-enders, open or only partially decked, and all except baggarah and zarooqa are at least partially sewn. The unique kambari was a completely sewn craft. They are all shell-built, planked with imported teak (Tectona grandis) or mango wood (Mangifera indica), their frames, floors and beams generally fashioned of a local timber called sidr (Ziziphus spina

T. VOSMER: OMAN FISHING CRAFT

Fishing badan of the Batinah Coast, from Muscat to around Sohar. Fitted with bilge keels. Crew of 6 to 12. Once plentiful, very few of this double-ender remain.

Baggarah, a double-ended fishing vessel of the northern Batinah Coast. Normally powered by oar, with a crew of 20 to 28 men. Also called shahuf.

Battil qarib (also called selq), a double-ended vessel of the Musandam region. Used for seine fishing. One of the most richly decorated of the Omani boats.

are verv similar to the battil

Zarooqa of the Musandam peninsula, a double-ender used for seine fishing. Normally rowed by crew of four.

Sewn sambuk, or kambari, of the Dhofar coast. Built of mango wood sewn with coir, these were once used for cargo lightering and sardine fishing. Believed extinct.

Figure 2. Silhouettes of the six types.

christi). When not of sewn construction, employed to align plank edges. These are they are fastened with clenched square- usually driven obliquely from the outside section iron nails. Slim dowels are of one plank into the faying edge of the

219


Figure 3. Dowels driven obliquely into planks to keep edges aligned.

plank above (Fig. 3). Until frames are fitted, the planks of shell-built vessels are fixed together with temporary cleats or lashings.

The distribution of each design is identified with specific areas. Until their recent disappearance, kambari were found along the Dhofar coast in the south of Oman, mainly Salalah and Taqah. Badan are found along the Batinah coast, baggarah on the middle and northern Batinah, and the two types of battil and the zarooqa in the Musandam region (Fig. 1). Except for the Musandam, where traditional boats are found in relatively large numbers, few examples are extant.

While retaining vestigial evidence of their sailing origins, all are used under oar. The badan, battil, zarooqa and baggarah each display distinctive oar designs (Fig. 4).

The terminology used in this paper re- flects the most common usage encountered in the research. It should be noted that

there was occasionally disagreement among informants concerning the names of boats and parts of boats. Names for types of vessel often seemed dependent on geographical location. Zarooqa, for example, are sometimes called mashua or shahuf. Baggarah are also known as shahuf, usually in the middle Batinah coast. Battil qarib are also called selq. A firm consensus on nomenclature has been established only on the names of the badan and the battil bahwy. As Arabic has both dual and plural forms of singular nouns-. many irregular-no attempt has been made in this paper to render anything but the singular form. It serves here as singular and plural.

The vessels Battil The deep khawrs (fjords) and hidden coves of the Musandam Peninsula in the far north of Oman on the Strait of Hormuz are home for battil bahwy, battil qarib and zarooqa (Figs 5-11). These three types are stylistically related and, in fact, some qarib have been converted into bahwy with only minor alterations to the stern. The zarooqa is a diminutive version of the battil, but with a deeper forefoot. It closely resembles the 19th-century vessel Paris calls a ‘garookah’ (Paris, 1843). A battil is lavishly decorated, the prow covered in goatskin, bedecked with ribbons and neck- laces of cowrie shells, with the stern being subject to similar treatment (Fig. 12). In general, the battil qarib is slightly larger than the battil bahwy, but both designs seem to range between 19 and 12m in length, with a beam of 2-1 to 2.4m and displacement from 1.5 to 2 tonnes. Like the badan and baggarah discussed below, they are used for seine fishing.

All the Musandam boats have a quarter- deck and a small foredeck. Their main beams-two at the forward end of the aft deck, two in way of the mast and two just at the after edge of the foredeck-project

220


d Battil

t Badan

Zarooqa

t Baggarah

Figure 4. Styles of oar used on four Omani boat types.

Figure 5. Battil drawn up on the beach at Khawr Ma’ili, Musandam. The dark one had recently been coated with fish oil. (Photo: Roger Garwood.)

through the hull. These beams rest on a rigged for sailing they brace the lower beam shelf, and on battil they are sewn to halyard block (obaidar), which is fixed the planking (Fig. 13). They are important through the deck between them. In ad- structural members, the aft ones not only dition to its normal function, the halyard support the deck, but when a vessel is serves as a backstay. Of the two beams in

22 1


1

I I I I I I I I I I 1 1 1 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sta. 0

metres

I - - - - 5 4 3 2 1 0 ----I I

Zarooqa (QA12) Qadah, Musandam 0 1994 T. Vosmer

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sta. 0

Figure 6. Lines of a zavooga.

way of the mast, the forward one braces the mast. The mast leans forward against the mast beam and transfers some of the force from the sail to the beam, which in turn distributes the load to the topside hull planking, thus relieving some of the com- pression forces that would normally be taken by the mast-step. Adams postulates that this arrangement also improves the watertight integrity of a sewn hull, by compressing the planks together between the opposing forces of buoyancy from one side and gravity and sail load from the other (Adams, 1985: 295). Thus, the forward-leaning mast characteristic of western Indian Ocean vessels may be an

222

artefact of the original sewn construction, designed to more evenly distribute forces in a flexible sewn vessel.

Both beams in way of the mast have a bulkhead attached to them. These bulk- heads keep equipment clear of the mast- step and provide an unobstructed space for bailing. The two beams at the aft end of the foredeck help support the foredeck and provide a foothold for the forward oars- man. The after one also serves as a belay- ing point for ground tackle, and for lashing a spar which serves as a mobile bowsprit or whisker pole.

The most obvious difference between the two types of battil is the style of the fashin,

Fig

. 7

9 8

7 6

5 4

3

Bat

til Q

arib

Man

soor

K

umza

r, M

usan

dam

met

res

Sta

. 0

'I

2

5 4

3 2

1 0

L I

I I

I I

I I

I 1

J 9

8 7

6 5

4

3 2

1

Sta

. 0

Figu

re 7

. Li

nes

of a

bat

til q

arib

.

Fig.

8

i 1

1 1

1 10

9

8 7

6 5

4 3

2 1

Sta. 0

Bah

til B

ahw

y (G

H2)

G

habi

na, K

hawr

Ghu

bb A

li, M

usan

dam

0 1994 T. Vo

smer

1 I

I I

I 10

9 8

7 6

5 4

3 2

1

Sta. 0

Fig

ure

8. L

ines

of

a ba

ttil b

ahw

y.


Figure 9. A hattil bahivy at anchor in Khawr Ghubb Ali.

a vertical fin attached to the stern. That of the bahwy is narrow, with the upper portion carved in a distinctive design (Fig. 14) which is related to the stylised dog’s head motif of the extinct classic battil. The trailing edge of the bahwy fashin is vertical, or leans slightly aft, while the fashin of the qarib rakes forward. Combined with the larger size of the qarib’s fashin, this makes an enormous difference to the position of the rudder relative to the hull in each boat (Fig. 2). In the stern, two or three pairs of timbers called m o o t extend a few centimetres aft of the long trailing edge of the fashin and are fashioned into a V-shaped housing in which the leading edge of the rudder (sukkcrn) is fitted. There are no pintles and gudgeons; the rudder is held in place by two devices: a rope grom- met which is worked through a hole in the rudder’s upper tip, and which hangs in a slot or is looped over the top of the fashin; and a rope whose bight is fixed through a

hole in the rudder blade near the waterline and whose ends are belayed tightly to posts fitted through the gunwale on each quarter. With this system, the rudder, which extends well below the keel, can be let go and unshipped rapidly as the vessel comes onto the beach.

The rudder is actuated by lines attached to an outboard tiller, pointing aft, which is fixed to the rudder about midway along its length. Steering ropes are led from the tip of the tiller to each quarter. When these vessels were sailed, one of two related systems was employed for steering. Some- times the ends of the steering ropes were attached to pivoting wooden toggles, or yokes, suspended from bollards (Fig. 15), and sometimes they were merely made fast to the bollards, under slight tension. In the latter case, the helmsman steered with his feet, holding the course merely by applying pressure to the leeward steering line to correct for weather helm. When the yoke

223


Figure 10. A battil gar

system was used, the inboard ends of the toggles were either connected by a loose line, or in larger vessels attached to tackles to increase the power of the steering system. In either case, the helmsman could manipulate the connecting line or the tackles to move the rudder.

Battil are no longer built, so our knowl- edge of the construction procedure comes from examining old boats which are dis- integrating, and from talking to even older boatbuilders. Construction begins with the keel, usually step-scarfed in three sections. The moulded depth at the forward end is slightly higher than the rest of the keel and bored with about five holes (Fig. 16). Re- bates for the garboard are cut in the top surface of the battil keel. Throughout most of the length of the keel they run just inside its upper edges, but near the stern, the rebates move to its upper edges, to accom- modate the twist of the garboards which are vertical at the bow and horizontal at the stern. Their ends are sewn to the keel,

224

.ib in Khawr Kumzar.

but the remainder of each is nailed to the keel from the inside. In larger Omani vessels, a keelson or hog is fitted, nailed to the keel, to lock the edges of the garboards into the keel rebates. This keelson was absent in battil examined during the survey. After the garboards are fastened and their ends are sewn together, the next strake is fitted. It is held in place by dowels driven obliquely from the garboards into its faying edge, and temporary lashings, as in other Omani boats. The same procedure is repeated for succeeding strakes.

After the completion of the lower planking to the turn of the bilge, the floors are fitted. When planking has been com- pleted except for the sheer strake, the six main beams are fitted. They are all throughbeams, projecting beyond the planking, and will be sewn to it. The planking is then finished and the futtock frames and half-frames are fitted. The futtocks are cut off flush with the sheer, but the half-frames are left with enough length


Figure 11. Znrooqa drawn up on the beach at Khawr A’Ran, with oars.

to be checked into the caprail. The beam shelf is nailed in and the caprail fitted. Beams to support the small foredeck and the aft deck are laid atop the beam shelf, sometimes checked into it, and the decks are laid. The aft deck, which is markedly cambered, is planked fore and aft. The foredeck is flat and planked athwartships. Sometimes it is constructed as a removable unit.

There are no knees or breasthooks, perhaps an echo of when these boats were completely sewn. however, a timber called the C~YOSSU (Fig. 17), fitted athwartships on the sheer abaft the stem and another in the stern, called the kussailom, function somewhat in the manner of a breasthook, reinforcing the join of the end planking.

Today battil, when used at all (which is rare), are only rowed. The oarsmen sit not on thwarts, but on the gunwales, bracing their feet on longitudinal stretchers (Figs 18 & 19). The oars are very long, and the thole pin for each oar is fixed through the gunwale some distance aft of the oars-

man’s position. Hence, the angle of the oar at the start of the stroke, relative to the centreline of the boat, is about 45 degrees.

Although the battil is customarily being rowed, the team had a recent occasion to sail one. Corporate funding had enabled the purchase and rigging of two battil, a bahwy and a qarib. Both these battil were nearly the same size, the qarib hull being 9.2 m compared with the bahwy’s 9.0 m. The qarib was sailed (and due to lack of wind, sometimes towed) the 270 miles from Musandam to Muscat, providing a rare opportunity to test the handling and capabilities of this type. It was unfortunate that it was not possible to sail the bahwy as well, since that may have demonstrated any difference between the two, particularly in regard to the effect of their relative rudder positions. Nevertheless, a great deal was learned about the handling of the qarib. It was found to be very light on the helm, with little effort needed to keep it on course in a variety of wind conditions (Beaufort 1 to 5). It was also found to be

225


Figure 12. The bow of a battil bahwy at Kumzar.

extremely sensitive to weight distribution and trim, particularly fore and aft. This was especially true while manoeuvring, when it was sometimes necessary to shift ballast (crew) fore or aft to make the vessel respond to the helm more rapidly. Whether this is an inherent characteristic of the vessel, or because the rudder was too small, is not known. Some local villagers had said the rudder fitted on the boat was not the original one. Only a small portion of it-about 0.13 m2-was in the water when the vessel was trimmed normally. When the boat was pitching in a seaway it was not unusual for the rudder to be completely out of the water for a few seconds at a time.

Most of the passage was spent in very light winds with a sail of about 21 m2, too small for the conditions. This may have contributed to the impression that the vessel was light on the helm. However, in a wind of about Force 4-5 with a slightly smaller sail (17 m2), driving the boat on

226

a reach at about 5 knots, the helm was equally light and responsive.

Zarooqa Despite the similarity in name, the zarooqa must not be confused with the zarook of the Red Sea and port of Aden, a much larger cargo carrier and a completely different boat (Hawkins, 1977: 74). Zarooqa average around 7 or 8 m length overall, with a beam of 1.5 to 1.8 m. Dis- placements range from 700 kg to 1 tonne. Like battile, zarooqa are used for fishing in the Musandam region, usually with a seine net. Since they require a small crew-as few as four to row and two more to pay out the net-they are handier to use than larger battil, require less organization and hence are more frequently used. The normal procedure is for one of the fishermen in a cooperative to act as a lookout, perched high on a cliff, while the others wait ashore for his frenetic shouts to alert them to a school of fish. Then scrambling


Figure 13. Sewn ends of throughbeams.

into the boat which is moored just off- shore, they bend to the oars and, under directions barked out by the fish spotter, lay their net in a large circle around the fish. All this activity is carried on well within the shelter of the khawrs, and the zarooqa venture into the open sea only to travel the short distance from one khawr to the next.

Although they possess vestigial traces of sail fittings (heavy beams with housings for masts, mast-steps and occasionally rudders) zarooqa are exclusively used as rowing boats. They are rowed by four men sitting on the gunwales, trimmed bow down as are battil. They are well-designed for the task and are fast under oar. One was noted moving at about 4 knots-lose to its hull speed-with 12 men on board. The four oarsmen seemed not strained at all to maintain the pace.

Unlike battil, they have no elements of sewn construction. Otherwise, the construction configuration is very much like

battil. Their shape, however, is sometimes harder at the turn of the bilge, the forefoot deeper and the fashin smaller (Fig. 8).

The small size and utilitarian nature of zarooqa help to maintain its popularity. Zarooqa are still built, though rarely, in a commercial yard in Khasab, the capital of the Musandam region.

Badan The fishing badan are found along the Batinah coast from Muscat to around Sohar. Their sizes range in overall length from 10 to 14 m with a beam of about 2.1 to 2.6m and a displacement of 2 to 3 tonnes. The profile of a badan is distinctive, with a concave false stem (sadr) and a high pointed fin (called majisi, tashni’a, or fashin) on the stern (Fig. 20). Both of these thin-planked structures are sewn on to the vertical ends of the hull, and braced by pairs of cheek pieces (msoot), which are fastened to each side of the hull and clenched to each other on either side of the

227


Figure 14. Decorated fushin of a battil buhwy.

Fashin Steering ropes

Figure 15. A battil qarib, showing typical arrangement of rope and lever steering system common to many Omani sailing boat types.

bow planking or the stern fin. As such, the fdshin and sadr are not structurally stem and sternposts, but false stem and stern. A true stem is nailed inside the vertical join of the bow planking, but there is no stern-

post, the stern structure relying solely on the stitching as well as the bracing of the msoot timbers for strength.

As none of these vessels are now sailed, they have no use for the rudder, and only a

228


Figure 16. Forefoot of a sewn and nailed boat, illustrating the procedure for sewing planks and stem.

few retain it, from conservative tradition (Fig. 21). Other accoutrements of sailing are also retained. The mast-step is a floor timber, of larger scantlings than the others, with a socket for the heel of the mast. There is a semi-circular cut in the aft face of a heavy beam to accept the mast, which was lashed to the beam. Unlike most Arab vessels, the mast of a badan stands vertically, rather than leaning forward.

Frames and floors are grown timber, set in a pattern of floors alternating with half- frames, spaced on about 300 mm centres. The pattern is different in the ends of the vessel, where floors are nearly absent and only half-frames are fitted. Just aft of the mast-step, there are two sets of half-frames instead of a floor, to keep the bottom

Figure 17. An arossa with incised design. The arossa serves as a breasthook to tie the sides together at the gunwale. (Photo: Roger Garwood.)

planking unobstructed for bailing. The floors have futtocks scarfed to them with a short angled join. As in the battil, the heads of the half-frames are let into mor- tises cut in the caprail, but the floor/futtock frames are not.

The planking pattern is divided into three levels: on the lower level the first three or four strakes run the full length of the boat; the middle level comprises drop strakes, becoming progressively shorter as the boat is planked up; and the upper level has full-length strakes, except for a few stealers fitted atop the sheer in the stern. The junction of the drop strakes with the upper level forms a chine, subtle on some boats, more marked on others (Fig. 21).

Twin keels are another feature of badan. All small Omani boats are beached when

229


Figure 18. A battil being rowed in Khawr Kumzar. Note length and position of oars, positions of oarsmen. (Photo: Roger Garwood.)

not in use and presumably the keels help to keep badan upright on the beach. They are attached to a horizontal keel plank, and extend over the mid three-fifths of the hull length (Fig. 20).

In the past the larger fishing badan were known to have crews of 24 to 28 men, but if used at all today, small badan are rowed by a crew of up to 12.

Baggarah As one moves north along the Batinah Coast, badan begin to be displaced by a vessel which in the middle Batinah is called shalzuf and along the northern Batinah, baggarah. Baggarah are longer than badan, about 15 to 16 m overall, but have no greater beam, and a displacement of just over 3 tonnes. They are characterized by a long, straight prow at an angle of about 22" from horizontal, rising lines aft which lift the stern high above the water, and trun- cated fashin (Figs 22 & 23). Of the six types

230

of vessel considered here, the baggarah is the only one which has lodging knees, and the only one which does not have throughbeams. This may indicate influences from western shipwrights, or that, in the absence of throughbeams, the hull stiffening usually afforded by them has to be provided by lodging knees. Baggarah also have no elements of sewn construction.

Stylistically, baggarah are more closely related to battil than to badan, but they may represent a blending of the two influences. Geographically, the baggarah are sandwiched between the realms of badan and battil. Some baggarah (usually on the northern Batinah) have an ordinary keel while others display a hybrid design related to badan, with the twin keels attached to a horizontal keel plank.

The reason for the regional design change from badan to baggarah is unclear, as each boat is employed in exactly the same role-seine fishing. The topography


qarib which the project bought and rigged for sailing, did have a mast beam, but with only a vestigial housing cut for the mast. The housing was so small that a mast capable of supporting enough sail to drive the boat could never have fitted in it. We must therefore conclude that these features, though inadequate in an operational sense on contemporary vessels, are indicative of the manner in which this type of vessel would have been used in the past.

Figure 19. View forward on a battil, showing longitudinal stretchers for bracing feet of oarsmen.

of the coast and general sailing conditions also appear to be alike.

With their long narrow hulls and numerous thole pin positions, baggarah are clearly intended for rowing. However they, like nearly all Omani boats, are fitted with a mast-step and a heavy mast beam carved to receive the forward side of the mast. Whether this is an indication that a particular vessel is (or was) occasionally used for sailing, or if it is merely a stylistic throwback is not completely clear. It should be noted, however, that some of the zarooqa noted above have rudders, mast- steps, and mast beams cut to receive a mast, but were never sailed, nor intended to be. The presence of these features, clearly intended for sailing, is explained by locals as ‘tradition’. Likewise, the battil

Kambari In Taqah on the Dhofar coast, several kambavi lie broken and scattered in a vacant lot, the last remnants of this unique craft in Oman. Though apparently extinct in Oman, one kambari is preserved in the Exeter Maritime Museum in the United Kingdom. It is from this one that the lines shown (Fig. 24) were taken (Tilley, pers. comm.). The kambari is the most primitive of the six types discussed here, and the only completely sewn boat. It was used for lightering and for sardine fishing. Because this vessel is so closely identified with its construction method, its name, kambari, derives from the Jabbali word for coconut fibre cordage, kambar. The name is regional, with kambari appearing to be the preferred name east of Mirbat, while west of Mirbat the generic term sambuk is used (Macleish, pers. comm.). Unlike the teak- built boats of most of Oman, the kambari is planked in mango wood. Its design is related to boats on the Somali coast called beden (Chittick, 1980), which are not related in design to the badan of the Batinah coast of Oman, and less closely to the Masula surf boat of India.

Analysis of the structure of a kambari reveals much about the building procedure. Construction starts with cutting parallel rebates, channels really, into the upper surface of the keel. Holes spaced 80-100mm apart are then drilled along each upper edge of the keel, from inside the

23 1


Figure 21. A badan drawn up on the beach at A1 Ghubra, southern Batinah coast. Note chine.

Figure 23. A fishing baggarah, drawn up at Sohar, northern Batinah coast. (Photo: Roger Garwood.)

rebates on the top to each side of the keel. Matching holes are drilled through the lower edge of the garboards, and the garboards are fitted and temporarily lashed in place. These lashings are made through some of the stitching holes (and removed as the plank is sewn) or through special sets of holes which are later

232

plugged. Fibrous coir wadding is laid on the outside of the seams between the keel and garboards, and continuous sewing is worked through the holes along the keel and garboards, first in one direction then the other, and pulled tight around the wadding. On the other plank seams, the wadding is on the inside of the planking

Fig.

20

8 7

6 5

4 3

11

10

9 2

1 St

a. 0

met

res

1 3

2 1

0 5

4

i

Fish

ing

Bad

an (

QU

1)

Qur

m, B

atin

ah C

oast

0 19

94 N

. Wei

ssm

ann

i

Figu

re 2

0. L

ines

of

a ba

dan.

I l l ] '

P , w

P , N

CL

P

c u -

N -

P -

F? P 0

-

C L -

0 -

w -

o o -

- 2 -

a -

m -

I p -

--


7

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Kambari (Sewn Sambuk EX1) from Taqah Dhofar 0 1993 A. Tilley & T. Vosmer

metres

I I I I I I I I 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sta. 0

Figure 24. Lines of a kutrihari. or sewn sutnhuk. from Taqah, Dhofar. This boat is now in the Exeter Maritime Museum.

(Fig. 25). A series of stitching holes is drilled along the upper edge of the garboard, then the next plank is fitted, drilled and temporarily lashed. Prior to being sewn, each new plank is locked in place by the lashings and by several dowels. The hood-ends of the planks are sewn together, forming a bow to which is sewn a straight stem raking at an angle of about 35" from the horizontal. The stern is similar, angled at about 55". There is a hard chine at the turn of the bilge. Frames and thwarts are lashed through additional holes drilled in the planking. Lashing holes are plugged with coconut fibre or wads of cloth, and usually payed with a putty made from melted resin, vegetable oil and lime.

The kambari was mainly used as a rowing boat, and usually manoeuvred by a long steering oar. However, some remains examined had gudgeons attached to the sternpost, indicating a rudder.

When not in use, kambari, like other small Omani craft, were drawn up on the beach. During the south-west monsoon which brings very heavy surf and rain to the Dhofar coast the kambari were not used at all.

Like virtually all Omani boats, kambari were liberally coated with shark liver oil, a marvellous preservative for the timber and any iron fastenings. Application of oil is repeated about every 3 months in the life of a working boat. The odour is over- powering for many days after the coating is applied, but the oil functions so well that the noxious smell is tolerated.

The oil is processed by first placing several shark livers in a large metal drum, letting them putrefy for about 2 weeks. Following this, they are boiled with two or three handfuls of salt over a roaring fire for 6 to 10 hours, drawing out the oil. The finest oil is skimmed off the top and ladled

233


Sewing P

Figure 25. Sewn construction in the inside of a sewn boat.

into another drum. The best oil sells for about $1 .OO per litre.

Conclusion All traditional Omani boats share common design heritage and construction method- ology. Particular constructional practices, such as the use of throughbeanis, sewing of hood-ends, the many variations on the fashin, or operational peculiarities such as the practice of oarsmen sitting on the gunwales rather than thwarts, are widespread in Oman. Judging by the slow pace of evolutionary development, and the evidence of rock art and maritime grafit i (Facey, 1987; Kenderdine & Vosmer, 1994; Vosmer, 1993; 1994), the extant vessels are probably closely related to their ancient ancestors, though in the absence of archaeological discoveries, it is impossible to be certain.

Five of the six discussed here display tall fashin, a system which may have been

234

developed as a device to provide a high mounting for the rudder, enabling a large portion of the rudder stock to extend above the waterline. This would have provided weight to keep the submerged part of the rudder in the water, as no rigid fixings were used. The exception is the kambari, which uses either a steering oar or a rudder fixed on gudgeons and pintles.

The typological similarities seem to be closely related to geographical location. Thus, the strong resemblance among the two types of battil and the zarooqa in Musandam; the hybrid nature of the baggarah which lie stylistically and geographically between the spheres of badan and battil; and the marked similarity between kambari and their cousins the beden on the opposite Somali coast appear to argue for a localized diffusionist development.

The study of the design, construction procedures, terminology, decoration and


use of Omani traditional vessels may lead to a better understanding of the development of maritime technology and could elucidate links among cultures in the region. It should provide a solid database for comparison with any future archaeological discoveries.

Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of Earthwatch and its Earthcorps of volunteers, the Royal Navy of Oman, the Ministry of National

Heritage and Culture, the Oman Inter- national Bank, Petroleum Development Oman, the Historical Association of Oman, Khimji Ramdas, Suhail and Saud Bahwan, Genetco, Oman National Dairy, E-Z Up, Safeways, Gulf Air, Mark Rent-A-Car, the Holiday Inn (Salalah), the Seeb Novotel, and the Australian Research Council, without whose support this research would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Dr Norbert Weismann for his valuable contributions.

References Adams, R. M., 1985, Designed flexibility in a sewn boat of the western Indian Ocean. In: McGrail, S.

& Kentley, E. (Eds), Sewn Plank Boats, BAR International Series 276. London. Bowen, R. L., 1949, Arab Dhows of Eastern Arabia. Massachusetts (privately printed). Chittick, N., 1980, Sewn boats in the Indian Ocean, and a survival in Somalia. ZJNA, 9: 297-310. Cleuziou, S. & Tosi, M., 1993, Black boats of Magan. In: Parpola, A. (Ed.), South Asian Archaeology.

Helsinki. Facey, W. (Ed.), 1987, The boat carvings at Jabal Al-Jussasiyah, north-east Qatar. Proceedings for the

Seminar for Arabian Studies, 17: 199-221. Hawkins, C. W., 1977, The Dhow. Lymington. Hornell, J., 1942, A tentative classification of Arab sea- craft. M. M, 28: 1140. London. Kenderdine, S. & Vosmer, T., 1994, Maritime graffiti in Oman. Bulletin of the Australian Institute for

Paris, E., 1843, Essai sur lu constructioii navale des peuples extra-europkens. Paris. Vosmer, T., 1993, The Omani Dhow Recording Project: Sultanate of Oman. Indian Ocean Review, 6.2:

Vosmer, T., 1994, Traditional Boats of Oman, links past and present. Paper presented at the Conference

Maritime Archaeology, 18: 3345.

18-2 1. Perth.

on Techno-Archaeological Perspectives on Shipbuilding in the Indian Ocean. Delhi.

235

Indigenous fishing craft of Oman

Documents

Transcript of Indigenous fishing craft of Oman