Boat Name
Boat Use
Boat Type
Build Date
Country of Origin
Area of Origin
Boat Dimensions
Length
5 ft 10 in
Width
5 ft 10 in
Photographs
Description
The Guffa is a cargo and passenger carrying boat and in this respect is very different from the British coracle which is a one-man fishing boat.
Guffas are obviously neither designed for speed nor sea-worthiness but as the circle encompasses the largest area for perimeter so the design of the Guffa facilitates the carrying of the greatest possible cargo with the most economical use of material. This is important because in some cases, particularly on the Tigris, the Guffa is abandoned after one long-river voyage. The construction is a frame with waterproof covering and is propelled with a paddle.
Another advantage of the circular form is that it lends itself to a very simple form of construction - indeed this boat was built by a blind girl.
The wooden sticks are of pomegranate and the only other materials are twine, straw and pitch. The Guffa is also interesting in that it has no waterproof skin as such, the pitch, which comes from Hit on the Euphrates, being laid on sufficiently liberally to act as a skin.
History
These boats were found and given to ISCA by Mr. Glen Balfour Paul who was the British Ambassador in Bagdad at the time. (1970's).
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