Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

Oman-India sea route to be retraced

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Oman-India sea route to be retraced

 

Wednesday 31 August 2005, 13:32 Makka Time, 10:32 GMT

The boat will be made of reeds and have no engine

An eight-member crew will sail across the Arabian Sea from Oman to

India next week in a replica of a reed boat used by ancient mariners

relying on only the sun, moon and stars to guide them.

 

The aim of the voyage is to prove that trade ties existed between

India and Oman from the early Bronze Age, some 5000 years ago, The

Indian Express daily reported on Wednesday.

 

The crew will set sail from Sur in Oman on 7 September and hope to

reach Bet Dwarka in India's western state of Gujarat in 15 days, the

report said.

 

The multinational crew will take no modern equipment on board the 12-

metre vessel and will instead rely on ancient sailing techniques for

the 500 nautical mile journey.

 

The timing of the $200,000 venture coincides with celebrations to

mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Oman.

 

The boat, named Magan, will have no engine and no modern amenities

like cabins and berths. The crew will study how life was lived on

board such a craft.

 

Basic diet

 

Indian marine archaeologist Alok Tripathi, one of the eight crew

members, said they would survive on a diet of dates, dried fish,

pulses, honey, bread and water.

 

 

Crew to live on dates, dried fish,

pulses, honey, bread and water

 

"One has to be mentally tough to undertake such a journey and I am

prepared," Tripathi told the Indian Express.

 

Australian nautical archaeologist Tom Vosmer, part of the crew and

the brain behind the expedition, told the paper that the vessel had

been constructed using the same materials available in the Bronze

Age.

 

The reeds are bound with rope made by hand from date palm fibre

while bitumen from Iraq was used for waterproofing.

 

Wooden parts were made from teak, sails were hand-woven from sheep's

wool and the ropes made from goat hair, he said.

 

Once the boat reaches Indian shores, its symbolic cargo, which the

report did not identify, will be handed over to Indian

representatives at a ceremony in Gujarat's Mandvi region.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FA1C8E9D-6560-4057-8DB9-

C97A94A25BAE.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...