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crew including Omani and Indian representatives will travel
on ‘Magan Boat’, a replica of 5000-year old raft 'Majan'
which used to ply between Oman & India during the early days
of trade relationship from Sur to Mandvi in Gujarat, India
on 7th September 2005 as part of 50 years of diplomatic ties
between Oman and India.
The 12-metre long and 3.8-metre wide ‘Majan’ will carry
copper ingots, dates, diorite, shells, steatite vessels and
hides, representing the cargo from Oman for trading in early
Bronze Age. The crew consists of Peter Manthorpe (sailing
master, Australian); Tom Vosmer (director of design and
construction, Australian); William McGrath (navigator,
American); Luca Belfioretti (construction supervisor,
Italian); Alessandro Ghidoni (construction supervisor,
Italian); Hussein Al Baloushi (Royal Navy of Oman, Omani);
Nasser Said Rashid Al Araimi (Royal Yacht Squadron, Omani) &
Alok Tripathi (archaeologist, Indian). The crew will eat a
diet similar to voyages 3000 years ago. Their health will be
monitored by a doctor on board.
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An escort vessel, the Royal Ship ‘Fulk Al Salamah’ will
accompany Majan on its 500 nautical mile journey. ‘Fulk Al
Salamah’ will carry scientists and a team of support
personnel including doctors and attendants, besides the Oman
Television crew, which will document the whole journey. The
scientists include archaeologists with expertise in both
Oman and India during the early Bronze Age period, a
cuneiform specialist who has researched and interpreted much
of the information relating to trading, cargo, and
documentation, which formed the basis of the construction of
the vessel.
The hull of the boat is constructed from bundles of reed,
bound with 40kg of handmade dateplam fibre ropes. Reed
bundles will be covered in woven reed mats coated with
bitumen. The sail will be woven with goat hair and leather
will be stitched onto the hull to protect the bundles,
lashings and mats. Oman referred to as Magan was a hub on
international ocean trade route connecting civilisations of
Sumer and Akkad in Mesopotamia to Indus Valley civilisation.
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