Men in Iraq in a round 'quffa' boat on the Tigris river, 1927

ForestOrca, 7 months ago

coracle /kôr′ə-kəl, kŏr′-/
noun

1. A small rounded boat made of waterproof material stretched over a wicker or wooden frame.
2. A fisherman's boat used in Wales and on many parts of the Irish coast, made by covering a wicker frame with leather or oil-cloth; a kind of bull-boat. Also spelled corracle.
3. A boat made by covering a wicker frame with leather or oilcloth. It was used by the ancient Britons, and is still used by fisherman in Wales and some parts of Ireland. Also, a similar boat used in India, Vietnam, Iraq, Tibet and in Egypt.

Zombiepirate, 7 months ago

I had no idea that these were still in use in modern times!

I knew that historically the Babylonians used round, flat-bottomed boats, but I figured they were made obsolete millennia ago. Fascinating stuff.

PugJesus, 7 months ago

Up until the 1970s, according to wiki!