Qatar is a peninsula bordered on one side by the Gulf of Bahrain and on the other by the Persian Gulf. For generations, its survival and destiny were inextricably linked to the sea, which provided a livelihood for much of its population. The traditional wooden dhows – here off the northern city of Al Khor – are vestiges of this maritime tradition of transporting goods, fishing, and trading pearls. Most of the dhows that sail today in Qatar are made in India (Kerala), Oman or Dubai, countries that have preserved a traditional craft of dhows made of teak, mango or mangrove wood locally called sambuq, shu’ai, bhum or baggala depending on their size and use.