The great River Nile is a generous gift of nature to the land of Egypt. It is a suitable route for transport of goods as well as for travelling in Egypt. Therefore, boat-building became essential for this, and boats were constructed in various models each to serve a certain purpose.

Although the primary intention behind boat-making was transport, it was also employed for fishing purposes and for recreational activities. The ancient scripts of Egypt consisting of hieroglyphics depict a pictorial display of these boats. Through these representations, it is obvious that they also represent mythology and religion.

Abydos and Tarkhan are two of the places where lots of Egyptian boat remains were sighted. The ancient Egyptian Kingdom did not reveal a sufficient amount of information. An exact model of the ancient Egyptian boat was portrayed in the King Khufu’s ship. It is a genuine representation of the ships constructed in those days.

Boats belonging to the first dynasty were sighted at Abydos, and they have a well-defined plan. They were twenty five meters long and 2 to 3 meters wide. It was possible to allow thirty rowers though it was just sixty centimeters deep. Both the prow and the stern gradually narrowed towards the ends in a typical manner. Historical facts prove that Egyptian boats were also decorated with paintings.

The boats were made from wood that caused them to decay over time and therefore historians were not able to conduct an intensive analysis. The opinion of the majority is that the wood used for Egyptian boats during the first dynasty was cedar.

The way in which the boats were constructed is quite obvious. The Egyptians would cut out planks of wood which would then be lashed with one another using tools that were fed through specifically created mortises. The wooden planks had seams between them and reeds were utilized to caulk them. Unlike modern-day boats the ancient Egyptian boat design did not factor in internal framing. An uncovered boat would appear to be twisted.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and pictures are loaded with images of boats and ships. The tombs and temples at Medinet Habu and Deir el Bahri are especially popular in connection with this as the walls of these structures display many different models of ancient Egyptian boats.

Egyptian historians have depended more on hieroglyphics to know about the methods used for making ancient Egyptian boats, than on the left over pieces of these boats discovered in various areas of Egypt. They still have a long way to go to find out the boat and ship-building methods of the later kingdom.

Boat building and ship building found favor amongst the state authorities also. Pharaoh snerfu and some others helped develop this skill so that the navy of Egypt became efficient. Aside from this, recreation and fishing also enhanced boat building.

Ancient Egyptian clothes were made from a variety of materials. If you want to get more info about ancient Egyptian boat designing please follow the hyperlink.