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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Top Indian civilan honour for Sohar replica builder

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The ship that is standing mighty amid the roads connecting Al Bustan, Sidab and Wadi Kabir, is the epitome of more than 5,000 years old relations between the Sultanate of Oman and India.

This is the replica of ‘Sohar’ that originally sailed in the 8th century, the original version of which was supposed to have been used by Sindbad the Sailor, during the early Abbasid Caliphate for his seven voyages throughout the seas of the east of Africa and south of Asia.


The ship was recreated in 1981 by Ali Manikfan, an Indian who has been bestowed with the Padma Shri Award on January 26. The award is the fourth highest civilian honour of India.


He was approached by Irish adventurer Tim Severin to rebuild the trading ship, which was completely hand-made, using four tonnes of traditional coir. He sailed the ship from Oman to China for his epic journey. History has it, that no metal was used in its construction and the four tonnes of coir were used to sew the planks of its hull.


Ali Manikfan, 82, from Minicoy Island, in Lakshadweep, was bestowed with the highest civilian award for his excellence in marine biology, ecology, cosmology, shipbuilding and multilingualism without any formal training in any of them. He was one of the 102 eminent Indians who has been bestowed with the Padma Shri Award this year.


It all began in 1976 when Tim Severn wanted to sail from Oman to China but the challenge was to build a traditional Arab sailing ship and it took three years for various researches, planning the itinerary.


Tim Severn’s search for an expert shipbuilder ended when he met Ali Manikfan who took thirty shipbuilding experts from Kerala and elsewhere and began the work in Sur.


Tim and his team set to sail on the ship on November 21, 1980, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of late Sultan Qaboos ascension to power. The voyage that followed the sea routes of Sindbad took eight months to cover 9,600 kilometres from Sur to Canton.


KABEER YOUSUF


@kabeeryousef


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