) Stern view of Al-Hashimi-II | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Kuwait | |
| Name: | Al-Hashemi-II |
| Owner: | Husain Marafie |
| Laid down: | 10 February 1997[1] |
| Completed: | 2001 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Baghlah[2] |
| Tonnage: | est. 2,500 t (2,461 long tons)[3] |
| Length: | 83.75 m (274 ft 9 in) o/a[1] |
| Beam: | 18.5 m (60 ft 8 in)[1] |
| Propulsion: | None |
Al-Hashemi-II is the largest dhow ever built, and is one of the largest wooden ships in the world today. It sits next to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Development and design
Al-Hashemi-II was commissioned by Husain Marafie.[2] Planning began in 1985,[4] and actual construction began in 1997.[1] The ship cost more than $30 million to build.[5]
Used for meetings and events and advertised as the "largest dhow ever built",[6] it is one of the world's largest wooden ships. It has never been floated,[7] although it was built utilising traditional caulking and other water-tightness construction methods.[3] It is 83.75 m (274 ft 9 in) long, with a 18.5 m (60 ft 8 in) beam.[1]
Guinness Record
It is entered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest wooden dhow ever built,[7] appearing in the 2002 Guinness World Records under the caption "DHOW AMAZING!" and categorised as "Ships, largest Arabic dhow".[8]
The certificate records the length as slightly shorter than the claimed length, at 80.4 m (263 ft 9 in), and the width as slightly wider, at 18.7 m (61 ft 4 in).[9] There are different metrics used to record ship lengths, which may account for that variance.
References
- ^ a b c d e "About & Origin". Al Hashemi-II Ltd. p. 3.
- ^ a b "About & Origin". Al Hashemi-II Ltd. p. 1.
- ^ a b "About & Origin". Al Hashemi-II Ltd. p. 4.
- ^ "About & Origin". Al Hashemi-II Ltd. p. 2.
- ^ "World's Largest Wooden Ship Unveiled in Kuwait". CNN. 8 July 2001.
- ^ "Meetings & Events". Radisson Blu.
- ^ a b "Top tourism attractions in Kuwait city". Times of Oman. 8 June 2015.
- ^ Guinness World Records 2002. Guinness World Records Limited. 2001. p. 311. ISBN 0851121241.
- ^ "Guinness World Record". Al Hashemi-II Ltd. Archived from the original on 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2007-02-06.