THE DHOW YARD

Even though Sur now only produces one or two dhows a year, Indian workers here repair the famous boats that have made the reputation and prosperity of the city since the first millennium BC. The two most popular models at that time were the baggala and the ghanja. Today, the tradition continues in the rules of art, and the ghanjas, smaller sailing boats, are still built according to ancestral methods, caulking being done with shark fat and plaster. Electrical instruments are used to cut the dhows, which six workers manage to complete in 5 months at an average cost of 40,000 OMR. The shipyards also produce Sharks, slender wooden boats that can be rowed like skiffs or outriggers. Specific to Sur, these boats are used every year in February, on Special Day, for extremely popular races. If you continue along the road along the lagoon, you will see a magnificent example of a dhow built in Sur more than seventy years ago, which has now emerged from the water and is erected on the ground like a statue or rather a museum witness of the past: the Fatah al-Khair. If it is not possible to get on board to visit the interior, it is interesting to approach the sides of the boat to observe the finishing touches. Traditionally, ships were made by hand, without nails, and hand-woven ropes were used to strengthen the joints.