Viking Star Art Collection

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE |

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE | DECK 7–8 RA II TIGRIS Ra II was launched in 1970 by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002). Heyerdahl’s ambition was to link the South American Indians with the ancient civilizations of Africa and the Middle East. The goal was to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco in a reed boat built according to ancient Egyptian paintings and models. The boat was named after the Egyptian sun god Ra. Ra II sailed from Safi in Morocco on May 17, 1970. The crew consisted of eight men. On July 12, 1970, Ra II reached Bridgetown in Barbados, having covered 6,100 km in 57 days. The Tigris was launched November 24, 1977, by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002). Using the reed boat Tigris, Heyerdahl intended to demonstrate that trade and migration could have linked Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley Civilization, in today’s Pakistan. Tigris was built in Iraq, and sailed through the Persian Gulf to Pakistan, making its way into the Red Sea. After about five months at sea and still seaworthy, Tigris was deliberately burnt in Djibouti, on April 3, 1978, as a protest against the wars raging on every side in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. Tigris was named after the river it was launched in, the Tigris River, running through Turkey and Syria. When the vessel was burnt, it had traversed 6,800 km through the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. 10

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE | DECK 7–8 11