For over 1,500 years the town of Beypore, the sits close to Kozhikode (or Calicut), has dedicated itself to ship building. Once a prominent port that occupied the mouth of the Chaliyar River, ship building was introduced to Beypore by the trading Arabs. Today, while the port has lost much of its sheen, you can still witness skilled artisans building boats from timber. You can even pick up a replica of the boats as a souvenir.
