The ''beden'' See author at . or alternate type names ''beden-seyed'' (also ''beden seyad'') and ''beden-safar'', is a fast, ancient Somali single or double-masted maritime vessel and ship, typified by its towering stern-post and powerful rudder. It is also the longest surviving sewn boat in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

and the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

. Its shipyards predominantly lie in the northeastern Hafun region of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

(notably Bayla), as well as Muscat. There are 2 types of ''beden'' ships, with one type geared towards fishing (the ''beden-seyed'') and the other, trading (''beden-safar''). The average trading ''beden-safar'' ship measure more than in length, and are significantly larger than the fishing ''beden-seyed'' ships, which measure on average, but both are dwarfed by a much larger trading variant called the ''uwassiye''. This ship is the most common trading and voyaging vessel, with some measuring up to . The ship is noticeable and unique in its strengthened and substantial gunwale, which is attached by treenail. Originally, all ''beden'' ships were sewn with coiled coconut fibre, holding the hull planking, stem and stern-post. Omani variants, beginning in the 20th century, began nailing instead of sewing the planks.

Etymology

The Somali word ''beden'' means 'a fishing boat', is derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

''badan'', and is related to the Swahili ''bedeni''. The Omani Arabic ''beden'', pl. ''bdāne'', means 'boat'.

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* * * {{ship-type-stub Ancient ships Ancient Somalia Ship types Maritime history of Somalia Somali inventions

Etymology

See also

References

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