Kochi will be the drop anchor spot of the reconstructed 9th century ship, “ The Jewel Of Muscat”, which is retracing a historic Voyage. It will be berthed at the BTB berth from March 10 for a month before it set sails to Singapore, where it will be made a museum.
The Jewel of Muscat is designed as per the blue print of a 9th century wreck of a ship that was carrying many priceless items like silver and gold artifacts, spices and Chinese ceramics, now known as the Tang Treasure. Its remnants were discovered in 1998 in the Indonesian waters. The Singapore government bought the Tang treasure in an auction to display it in a museum.
This 18M long ship built in Indian and Burmese teak and a unique tree, ‘Punna’, which is a native of Kerala, is a gift from the Government of Oman to the people of Singapore. The ship building team comprising mostly of Malayaless, made this sewn plank ship with wood and coconut fibre ropes without using even a nail or a screw- the ship making technology which is exclusive to Kerala . The 1300 year old method of dhow making which involves sewing the hull planks with hand made ropes make the ship extremely stable and resilient even in choppy waters. The ship is solely driven by the wind sails and has no modern gadgets except life jackets and navigational tools.
To celebrate the first stopover of the ship, the Oman Government is sending a cultural team to Kochi where a major event is planned. During its dry dock at Kochi, the technical crew, most of them from Kerala will carry out its maintenance . Following the old trading route, the ship will reach Singapore through the waters of Srilanka and Malaysia, five months later,where it will be made a museum in which the tang Treasure will be displayed . Though The Jewel of Muscat is a venture of Oman, the fact that the technology and the manpower behind this magnificent creation is from the distant land of Kerala, is indeed a matter of pride for all of us.