Traditional Kafah boat

The kaffa is the Mesopotamian version of a type of boat found around the world, the “coracle” boat. The oldest trace of this type of boat is a pottery model found in Lower Saxony dating back to 5500 BC. It is believed that this boat was made by immigrants who came to central Europe from the Middle East, and brought with them the agricultural culture to Europe. The types of coracle boats in the world differ in their manufacture, there are those with leather frames and others that use different types of baskets to make them; in the case of the kaffa, the rolled basket is used and is waterproof and coated with (tar). The kaffa was produced and used in the central region of Iraq on the Tigris River between the cities of Tikrit and Kut, and on the Euphrates River between the cities of Hit and Samawah

The ancient proportions

The palm has been depicted in Mesopotamian texts and art in various eras, beginning with its presence on Sumerian cylinder seals dating back to around 3500 BC. Evidence suggests that palm-making was an unbroken tradition since that time. Assyrian sculptures show palms carrying ancient war chariots. The Babylonians described Noah's Ark as a round palm, suggesting that they believed the palm had existed since ancient times. The palm was described in the "Histories" of the Greek historian Herodotus (450 BC), and was also mentioned by other travelers who visited Mesopotamia, as well as in Arabic literature. In popular songs, it was mentioned as a secret place for lovers to meet. The palm is also seen in the paintings of pioneering Iraqi artists (between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries), such as the works of the artist Abdul Qader Al-Rasam