The Nile was considered to be the highway for trade and population movements since the early days of Egyptian civilization. During the riverine transportations history of Egypt, a large number of boat types have been used. From the early depictions of sailboats, Egyptian boats have gone through massive reconfigurations that changed their shape, building materials, and rigging techniques.
The presentation is focused on the final huddle of cargo boats on the Nile. The presentation is part of an HFF funded studentship at the University of Southampton, focusing on the boatbuilding traditions from the late 18th century up to modern day Egypt.
It will aim at presenting the early development of the different types of boats, and will trace the evolution of its hull shape, hull material, and rigging techniques during the past 200 years through the examination and study of photographic evidences and Euro-American writings during the period of the study.
The researcher will present different sources of information, different methodologies, and the future of the research.
The paper will also investigate the surrounding social, economic and environmental aspects that affected the evolution of these boats, and theories about the extinction of wooden sailboats on the Nile.