Jewel of Muscat

Present-day knowledge of the original materials and methods used in construction of the Jewel of Muscat 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 Jewel of Muscat. Fortunately pieces of the original timbers were preserved, allowing scientists to analyse the remains and determine the types of wood used. Timbers from a number of tree species were found, including one that is unique to central Africa. After analysing the hull form, timber species, and construction methods, archaeologists concluded that the wreck was of Indian or Arabian origin, utilising some imported wood. ==Construction and voyage==

The Jewel of Muscat was built at Qantab near Muscat, the capital of Oman. Construction 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 about wide and long. It is an accurate reproduction thanks to the measurements taken by Walterfang's team during the excavation. Timber for the ship was made from Afzelia africana trees felled in Ghana and cut into planks and frames at a Ghanaian lumberyard. It was then sewn into position using coir rope and caulking made from multiple strands of fine coir rope with a diameter of about . In addition, the planks were coated with shark liver oil to make them water-resistant. The Jewel of Muscat made one voyage, from its shipyard in Oman 5000 kilometers to its berth in Singapore, following an ancient trade route, in stages, via Galle in Sri Lanka. The captain was Saleh al Jabri, with 25 years of sailing experience. An ancient navigational tool called a kamal is used to make sightings of known stars compared to the horizon, measuring the ship's latitude. While the ship proceeded from Cochin to Galle in Sri Lanka, cracks appeared on the mast after strong gusts of wind. In Galle, the masts were replaced with freshly hewn teak logs. From October 2011, the Jewel of Muscat was housed in the Maritime Experiential Museum and Aquarium in the Sentosa resort in Singapore until March 2020 when the museum was closed to later on become part of the new Singapore Oceanarium, an expansion of the former S.E.A. Aquarium. ==See also==