'Jewel of Muscat' back Saturday after five-month trip

About 15 Omani sailors will return home on Saturday after spending nearly five months aboard the “Jewel of Muscat” that had sailed from Oman to Singapore via India and other Asian countries to revive an old sunken Chinese vessel.

Jewel of Muscat had set sail from Sultan Qaboos Port in the Omani capital on February 16 and arrived in Singapore on July 3 after making port calls in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Omani newspapers reported Thursday.

The vessel, which was exhibited in Singapore, was modelled on the famous Tang Treasure ship that had reportedly sunk in the Indian Ocean while laden with gold and other precious items belonging to the old Chinese Tang dynasty.

The 18-metre long “Jewel of Muscat”, a reconstructed ninth century sewn-plank ship, has started sailing in the Sea of Oman on the first sea-trial before it embarked on the five-month voyage across the Indian Ocean.

“The Jewel of Muscat was given a red-carpet and a popular welcome, led by the Singaporean President, upon arrival in that country,” Oman Daily said. “It has set sail back home and is scheduled to arrive in Muscat on Saturday.”

According to Omani officials, Singapore is one of the Gulf country’s oldest trading partners and Jewel of Muscat was displayed in Singapore to highlight the awareness of the old trade routes between the two countries.

Badr bin Hamoud Al Busaeedi, Director General of the Omani Foreign Minister, said Jewel of Muscat was built-modelled on the wreckage of the ninth century Tang Treasure ship that was carrying more than 60,000 pieces of Chinese ceramics, silver and gold artefacts, spices and other commodities.

“The idea of this was inspired from Tang Treasure, which was discovered in 1998 in Indonesian waters….it took us about 12 months to construct this vessel, which represents an important Omani cultural and heritage initiative,” he said.

To reconstruct `Jewel of Muscat’, the 1,200-year-old method of sewing the hull planks together with handmade coconut-fibre rope was used to make the vessel extremely resilient. No nail or screw was used during the process of shaping the first plank for hoisting the palm-leaf sails that were woven in Qantab.

“All our efforts have paid off…Jewel of Muscat is a magnificent initiative and an authentic symbol of Oman’s heritage,” said Captain Saleh Al Jabri, who co-headed the mission.

According to Singapore’s Tourism Board, Tang Treasure shipwreck which was discovered in 1998 contained rare and well-preserved pieces of stoneware, and centuries-old gold and silver pieces including the largest Tang dynasty gold cup and an exquisitely decorated silver flask.

Later uncovered by professional salvage divers, the 22-metre long traditional vessel provides strong evidence to suggest that the early Chinese seafarers were trading in items that suited the global market over 1,000 years ago.

The treasure was purchased by the Sentosa Leisure Group in 2005 and is on loan to the Singapore Tourism Board.

“The Tang Shipwreck Treasure is a priceless find that provides firm archaeological evidence of the existence of a Maritime Silk Route between the East and the West via Southeast Asia centuries ago,” the Board said.

“Behind the artefacts is a story that needs to be told – one of how people lived and traded in the early days, how they interacted with people of other lands. It also has a special meaning for Singapore which has a long and distinguished maritime history being strategically located at the cross-roads of maritime trade routes and home to the treasure.”

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