ARKANOR NAW (BOATS OF ARAKAN)

Many of the original ships which put Arakan on the map no longer exist. The elephant-carrying craft that sailed to the Coromandel Coast now survives only in legend, and there are no records to tell us what Waithali’s vast merchant fleet may have looked like. However, boats that developed from those are still in use, and the tradition of boatbuilding is alive as well among the Rohingya. The great sails, which must have made the Arakan Coast a sight to behold, have been replaced by motor engines, but the designs and craftsmanship of the vessels remain ever impressive.