How did dhow ships support trade in the western Indian Ocean?

For more than two millennia, dhows—small, lateen-rigged sailing vessels—were the predominant means of transport in the western Indian Ocean. These ships supported trade by enabling merchants to navigate the region effectively by taking advantage of the monsoon winds.1

Dhows facilitated the movement of a wide variety of products between ports along the coast of East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the west coast of India. In addition to their role in commercial trade routes, dhows were essential for local subsistence, supporting fishing and the lucrative pearl diving industry, which provided valuable luxury commodities for trade. While modern shipping and land transport have largely supplanted traditional dhow traffic, these vessels were historically vital to the economic connectivity of the Indian Ocean littoral states.12