Meet the dhow builders of Mandvi

Mandvi was founded at an important junction of the maritime spice trade and the desert camel caravan trade routes. The town quickly became a thriving port handling trade with much of the subcontinent and further afield to west Asia and Africa. As maritime trade grew, traders needed to greatly expand the number of boats for trade and local craftsmen quickly became adept at building wooden ships, known as dhows, for use in the thriving cargo trade. The city still has an active ship building industry with carpenters still largely following the almost 400-year-old traditional skills practised by their ancestors. Just a short drive from Bhuj, a visit to Mandvi is a great way to witness this traditional craft of dhow-making before it is sadly lost to modernity.