Ninth century replica sailing in

Ninth century replica will be sailing the way it was, and arriving June 5

PENANG is set to receive a visitor from the past when the Jewel of Muscat sails into the Tanjung City Marina in two weeks.

The ship, a reconstruction of a ninth century Arab vessel from over 1,100 years ago, is scheduled to arrive in Penang on June 5.

Hand-sewn with coconut fibre with not a single nail or screw used, the 18m-long boat left Oman on a six-month historical expedition to Singapore along the ancient trading sea route.

Dr Chan Jee Kei, the managing director of Opal Asia Shipping Sdn Bhd, the official agent that will handle the ship’s programme in Penang, said the vessel was built in Oman using the same technology and materials as the original ship that sunk.

“The initiative is aimed at not only recreating the ancient vessel but also life on board at that time. The ship has no engine and relies completely on wind,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Dr Chan said it took almost two years to build the boat which was completed in December 2009, using original timber brought over from Ghana as it was no longer available in the Middle East.

He added there was no modern navigation technology on board and the 18-member crew used traditional navigation techniques including a kamal (a celestial navigation device that determines latitude), the sun and stars.

A layer of goat fat mixed with lime protects the wood while the sails are made from palm leaves.

“There are also live chickens and goats on board to provide the crew with fresh eggs and milk, along with a large supply of dates,” he added.

The epic journey began from Oman on Feb 16 this year following the discovery of the shipwreck of the ninth century vessel that sunk off Belitung, Indonesia, carrying over 60,000 pieces of Chinese pottery from the Tang dynasty.

Dr Chan said the Singapore Government later bought the entire pottery find, which sparked a historical and cultural joint project between the Omani and Singaporean governments to recreate the shipping vessel for the ancient journey.

“To preserve this piece of culture for the public, the Singapore Government bought all the pottery to be displayed in museums in their country,” he added.

Enroute to Penang, the Jewel of Muscat stopped at the traditional ports of Cochin, India on March 15 and Galle, Sri Lanka on April 19.

Accompanied by a National Geographic cameraman, its final stop is Penang before reaching its destination of Singapore where it will be presented as a gift to all Singaporeans from the Sultanate of Oman.

State Tourism Development, Culture and Arts Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said the ship was sailing ahead of schedule and might arrive a few days earlier.

“This is the first time that Penang is playing host to a ship of this kind,” he added.

The vessel will berth for a week and be open for public viewing from June 8 to 10.

-Info courtesy of The Star-