The year was 826 A.D( approx).A beautiful ship set sail from Oman to Singapore laden with precious cargo, which included Gold, bronze, chanagsah ware and yeu ware, amongst a host of other precious materials.
During the course of the journey somewhere between Sumatra and Java, the ship met its watery grave. Never to be seen again.With all its precious cargo lost as well.
Until the year 1998, when the Belitung wreck was discovered and this whole story came to light.
2009, Cantab, Oman-A quaint fishing village just off the coast, where something very exciting is being readied. In a specially constructed ship yard here.
To undertake that same voyage that was not destined to be completed.At least in the 9th century AD. But this is the 21st century and where there is a will, there is positively a way.
It is due to be finished in 2009 and will embark on an historic voyage from Oman to Singapore in early 2010.The project is an historical and cultural initiative launched by the governments of Oman and Singapore that involves the reconstruction of a 9th-century ship and sailing it from Oman to Singapore.
The ship represents a major feat of maritime engineering. The hull is being sewn together with coconut fibre. Built without nails to seal the hull, each timber will have to fit perfectly. The wood will be protected by a layer of goat fat mixed with lime, and the sails will be square and made from palm leaves.
Once built, the ship is expected to sail from Oman to Singapore, which is presumed to have been a key stopping point of the Belitung ship, in its journey westwards, before it was wrecked. It will travel along the same route as those described by Arab geographers, using the same knowledge as Arab seamen.
The team on the ship will use 9th-century navigation techniques, plotting the course for the 18-metre ship with a “kamal” (a small block of wood connected to a piece of string that can calculate latitude), and the stars and the sun. Observation of the sky and sea colour, marine and bird life, and wind direction will also be used as aids to navigation. Modern instruments will only be used to check the navigation techniques.
Standing there that day, watching the 4o plus men at work, I could feel 'the feeling' too. That of expectancy and that of hope as well.
To set in motion a project that someone had intended to do many centuries ago.
But one which will finally become a reality only in the year 2010...
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