Brief
The lecture reviews the experience of Dr. Dionysius Agius in his book “The Life of the Red Sea Dhow: A Cultural History of Seaborne Exploration in the Islamic World” which deals with the cultural memories of the Red Sea people in the past eighty years. The traditional vessel, the dhow, is at the center of the present discourse, with its cultural life as seen through the eyes of the people who built the dhows and the seafarers who crossed the perilous Red Sea. We have insights into superstitious beliefs as the voyagers faced threats, such as storms, wrecks, and pirates. People shared their recollections of the dhows sailing in convoy for trade, the hoisting of sails, the prayers they recited for fair winds and, in despair, when struck by gales. They remembered the pearling days of diving and the opening of shells, the songs they sang on board the ships, and the return from their journey, joyfully welcomed by family and friends.
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