Jewel of Muscat
Videos, photos and information on the reconstruction of a 9th-century Arab ship, and its historic voyage from Oman to Singapore.
Site Preparation
Luca Belfioretti, Site Manager, explains what must be prepared before construction can begin.
The area on Qantab Beach set aside as the work site needs to be transformed from a patch of sand into a functional shipyard. The wood for the construction of the ship is soon to arrive in Muscat, having been shipped from Ghana. But before anything can happen, the road to the workshop on the beach must be laid. It will need to be a road that can withstand the weight of over 40 tonnes of wood.
2:53 mins
14th April 2008
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Luca Belfioretti, Site Manager, goes to India on a search for the perfect tree for the ship's masts6.53
Tom Vosmer, Construction Director, travels to Ghana in search of trees for the ship's construction.05:21
Luca Belfioretti, Site Manager, explains what must be prepared before construction can begin.2:53
Tom Vosmer, Construction Director, explains what he hopes to glean from the process of this project.05:21
In 1998, a fisherman stumbled on a ship wreck containing what is now known as the Tang Treasures.04.58
An introduction to Qantab, where the ship is being built on one of its beaches.01:35
What makes the ship's construction unique is its lack of nails: the wood planks are, in fact, sewn together.2:16
The team carry out experiments on the rope to ensure that it will not rot away during the voyage.4:05
Before building the full-sized ship, a precise model is built to study its hydrodynamic behaviour.11:47