The BA Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies organizes a lecture entitled "The Life of the Red Sea Dhow: A Cultural History of Seaborne Exploration in the Islamic World", delivered by Professor Dionisius Agius, Fellow of the British Academy, and Emeritus Professor of Arabic Studies and Islamic Material Culture, at the University of Exeter, UK.
The lecture will be held in English and translated into Arabic. It is open to the public until the maximum number of hall capacity is reached.
All attendees must wear a face mask, maintain a safe distance, and provide proof of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
The lecture reviews the experience of Dr. Dionysius Agios 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; its cultural life as seen through the eyes of the people who build the dhows and seafarers who crossed the perilous Red Sea. There are 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, and the songs they sang on board the ship and the return of their journey joyfully welcomed by family and friends.