Uru (Big Boat)
Encyclopedia
The Uru, or "Big Boat", is made in Beypore
, a village in south Calicut
, Kerala
, in southwestern India
. A couple of boat-building yards
can be found near the Beypore port. These have been used by the Arab
s and Greeks
since ancient times as trading vessels, and even now, urus are being manufactured and exported to Arab nations from Beypore. It is built of several types of wood, the main one being teak
. The teak was taken from Nilambur
forests in earlier times, but now imported Malaysian teak is used.
Beypore
Beypore or Beypur is a ancient port town and part of Calicut municipal corporation in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. The place was formerly known as Vaypura / Vadaparappanad. Tippu Sultan named the town “Sultan Pattanam”.This place also has a marina and a beautiful beach...
, a village in south Calicut
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, in southwestern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. A couple of boat-building yards
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
can be found near the Beypore port. These have been used by the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s and Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
since ancient times as trading vessels, and even now, urus are being manufactured and exported to Arab nations from Beypore. It is built of several types of wood, the main one being teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
. The teak was taken from Nilambur
Nilambur
Nilambur is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River...
forests in earlier times, but now imported Malaysian teak is used.