A survey of Traditional Vessels of the Sultanate of Oman. The Omani Dhow Recording Project Field Research, 1992
Author/s T. Vosmer
Year of publication 1993
Report Number: 69
Background
The Sultanate of Oman has a rich maritime heritage, dating back at least 5000 years 10 the time when Oman was a rich source of copper for developing civilisations in the entire region and Omani sailors were pioneering the development of maritime skills and technology. Archaeology on land has highlighted the importance of seaborne commerce and a liuoral society heavily dependant. On subsistence from the sea. Today, though the ancient sea trade in copper, spices, leather, animals, frankincense and ambergris has disappeared and the fishing industry has been modernised, the echoes of the great Omani seafaring traditions and the maritime technology that enabled them to nourish are still evident in the design and construction of traditional vessels to be found in the Sultanate.
Several authors have written about, drawn and photographed various aspects of traditional Arab seagoing craft. In the mid 19th century, Amiral Paris described and produced 'measured drawings' of several types of Arab vessels (Paris, 1843). Clifford Hawkins and David Howarth have published general surveys of the dhow, illustrating and describing a range of vessels from the western Indian Ocean (Hawkins, 1977; Howarth, 1977). Oman, A Seafaring Nation, a fine book published by the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Sultanate of Oman gave an excellent account of the history of Omani seafaring and the ships employed (Ministry of Information and Culture, 1979). Many other authors have written on the subject in books, professional papers or journal articles (see bibliography). With all the material that has been written, however, there are still particular aspects that have not been documented.
The Omani Dhow Recording Project is directedat recording the type of information that has not yet been fully documented, with detail largely overlooked in the past The project seeks to record information on several levels: macro characteristics (such as hull shape and general construction configuration), micro features (such as details of construction joinery, materials analysis), and general data about materials processing as well as handling and use of the vessels.
The project will operate on three basic levels:
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Formulationofhypotheses and theories
