Beypore-made 11th century heritage vessel ‘Uru’ to be displayed in Qatar during FIFA 2022

The
27
feet
long
all-wooden-and-coir
yacht
is
being
made
to
order
at
Beypore,
historically
famous
for
making
Urus,
by
Chaliyam-based
Haji
PI
Ahmed
Koya
and
Company
and
would
be
showcased
at
the
International
Dhow
Festival
to
be
held
at
Qatar
next
year,
coinciding
with
the
FIFA
World
Cup.

The
month-long
mega
sporting
event
is
being
held
in
the
Middle
East
for
the
first
time.

The
traditional
trading
vessel
replica,
which
is
seven
feet
wide
and
six
feet
tall,
is
being
made
as
it
was
done
during
the
ancient
times
–
when
iron
nails
and
metals
were
not
used
for
ship
building
–
by
using
wooden
nails
and
coir
fibers
to
fasten
the
wooden
planks.

Qatar
2022:
Countdown
begins;
World
Cup
stadiums
at
a
glance

“Four
carpenters
and
four
other
skilled
workers
are
engaged
in
the
work
of
this
vessel,
which
is
made
of
all
wood
and
coir-fiber.
No
iron
nails
are
used,
but
only
wooden
ones
as
it
were
during
the
11th
and
12th
centuries.

“The
work
involves
2,500
stitches
and
as
many
as
5,000
holes
and
months
long
effort,”
Hamad
Hashim,
Managing
Director
of
the
company,
told
PTI,
and
added
that
the
boat
was
almost
finished,
barring
final
touches.

The
11th
century
vessel
replica
would
be
ferried
to
Qatar
in
January
next
year
in
a
shipping
container.

Considered
the
biggest
handmade
craft
anywhere
in
the
world,
the
‘Uru’ was
used
by
Arabs
for
spice
trade
with
Kerala
and
this
was
exactly
the
reason
why
the
Qatar
authorities
wanted
to
display
it
as
part
of
their
history
during
the
dhow
festival
and
the
World
Cup,
Hashim
said.

Qatar
2022:
Salient
features
of
Stadium
974

The
launching
of
the
‘Uru’
is
a
festive
ceremony
as
the
dhow
slides
down
on
the
wooden
rollers
and
touches
the
saline
waters
of
the
sea.

The
famous
Khalasis
of
Beypore
would
manage
the
pulleys
and
ropes
to
facilitate
the
wooden
vessel
to
touch
the
waters,
which
takes
a
few
days
to
complete.

One
such
huge
130
feet
long
‘Uru’ made
by
Hashim’s
company
was
rolled
out
the
other
day
from
the
coast
of
Pattarmad
in
Chaliyam
to
the
Doha
coast.