Jewel of Muscat
Encyclopedia
The Jewel of Muscat is a ship based on the design of the Belitung shipwreck
, an Arabian dhow
that was found off the coast of Belitung Island, Indonesia
in 1998 and subsequently salvaged. It was built in a joint effort by the governments of Oman
and Singapore
and Mike Flecker one of the people employed by the salvage company Seabed Explorations at the time of the original recovery.
Fortunately pieces of the original timbers were preserved, allowing scientists to analyse the remains and determine the type of wood used. This wood is unique to an area which forms a thin band across central Africa from west to east, falling short of the east coast by a couple of hundred miles. This has allowed archaeologists to identify the original wrecked ship as being made in Africa.
The ship is remarkable in that it was sewn together, following the construction techniques used in the wrecked ship, rather than the using more traditional methods of pegs or nails. The dhow is approximately 21 feet wide and 58 feet long and is an accurate reproduction thanks to the measurements taken by Walterfang's team during the excavation.
The Jewel of Muscat is housed in the Maritime Experiential Museum and Aquarium in the Sentosa resort in Singapore.
Belitung shipwreck
The Belitung shipwreck is the wreck of an Arabian dhow which sailed a route from Africa to China around 830 AD. The ship completed the outward journey but sank on the return journey, approximately off the coast of Belitung Island, Indonesia...
, an Arabian dhow
Dhow
Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Some historians believe the dhow was invented by Arabs but this is disputed by some others. Dhows typically weigh 300 to 500 tons, and have a...
that was found off the coast of Belitung Island, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in 1998 and subsequently salvaged. It was built in a joint effort by the governments of Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Mike Flecker one of the people employed by the salvage company Seabed Explorations at the time of the original recovery.
Background
Present-day knowledge of the original materials and methods used in construction of the Jewel and this type of Arab dhow stems largely from the shipwreck itself, found preserved under sediment. The sediment preserved the remains of the wooden vessel and without this the wreck would have been lost due to worms. Most important were the discoveries about the methods of construction which were repeated in the construction of the Jewel.Fortunately pieces of the original timbers were preserved, allowing scientists to analyse the remains and determine the type of wood used. This wood is unique to an area which forms a thin band across central Africa from west to east, falling short of the east coast by a couple of hundred miles. This has allowed archaeologists to identify the original wrecked ship as being made in Africa.
Construction and voyage
The Jewel is approximately 21 feet (6.4 m) wide and 58 feet (17.7 m) long. Building of the ship began in October 2008 and it set sail for Singapore on 16 February 2010, arriving on 3 July 2010.The ship is remarkable in that it was sewn together, following the construction techniques used in the wrecked ship, rather than the using more traditional methods of pegs or nails. The dhow is approximately 21 feet wide and 58 feet long and is an accurate reproduction thanks to the measurements taken by Walterfang's team during the excavation.
The Jewel of Muscat is housed in the Maritime Experiential Museum and Aquarium in the Sentosa resort in Singapore.