Megayacht Design ODYSSEUS Treasures the Ancients of the Mediterranean

With a name like Odysseus and elements of Greek and Roman architecture, Souhaib Rouissi’s megayacht design pays homage to the ancient mighty empires of the Mediterranean.

In Ancient Greek mythology, Odysseus was a Greek hero famed for his intellect who devised the cunning plan to take the city of Troy by secretly gaining entry via a giant hollow horse and opening the gates to allow the remainder of the army to storm the city under the cover of darkness. Having come away victorious from the Siege of Troy, his 10 year journey home across the seas is documented in the epic poem “Odyssey”.

It is in the home country of the young yacht designer Souhaib Rouissi, that amongst the collection of the Bardo National Museum in Tunis, Tunisia, lies an Imperial Roman-era mosaic titled “Odysseus and the Sirens” and in many ways offers insight to the design elements of Rouissi’s superyacht concept.

In the historic mosaic at Tunisia, Odysseus stands tied to the ship’s mast so he can hear the beautiful Sirens (mermaid-like creatures) without the ability to be drawn in by their call. The ship on which he stands on resembles a Roman Trireme with its naval ram styled bow.

This ram was a naval weapon in the Greek/Roman antiquity fitted to the prows of warships to rupture the hull of the enemy ship. The preferred method of attack was to come in from astern, with the aim not of creating a single hole, but of rupturing as big a length of the enemy vessel as possible.

It’s fitting then, that a young Tunisian yacht designer Souhaib Rouissi, would name his 114m megayacht design ODYSSEUS and give it a prominent and unique ram styled bow. Souhaib states “Roman ships were the base of my inspiration, motifs, symbols and architecturally”.

With ODYSSEUS, Roman design influence begins with the provision of space. Historically speaking Roman architecture has often drawn inspiration from Greek design but elaborates further with ornate detailing and expansive use of space. An example of this is ancient Roman housing that made extensive use of patios and air circulation for temperature lowering and it is these influences that Souhaib has chosen to carry through to areas such as the megayacht’s forward deck seating area.

Looking aft, free space also abounds where the patio style seating nearly spans the width of the deck and is only intersected by a waterfall that flows from the deck above. Just past the waterfall, steps lead up to a Roman ended pool with a gentle graded access leading down inside it.

Of course a lot could be said about the symbolism of pillars and they were certainly a significant feature of Greek and Roman architecture. It’s little surprise then that Souhaib has also included these into the ODYSSEUS megayacht design. They work particularly well in the patio area giving those relaxing outdoors an air of ancient royalty and support the aft upper deck.

A meander (Greek: Μαίανδρος) is a decorative border constructed from one continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif. Meanders were common decorative elements in Greek and Roman art and so we find one in rose gold tastefully detailing the length of ODYSSEUS on each side of the yacht. Marble was also a material that the Romans were responsible for beginning to heavily incorporate into architecture and so Souhaib has made sure to feature this and other Romanesque substances throughout ODYSSEUS as well.

These days the history and legacy of the Mediterranean can still be found throughout the region’s landmass but with a megayacht like ODYSSEUS, reflections of empires that once were could be found on the sea as well.