Sailing the seas of history has taken on a new meaning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It’s something very realistic. To experience firsthand how the sailors of the Magan civilization traveled thousands of years ago in the area occupied by the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE, a group of researchers reconstructed one of their ships step by step and with the greatest possible fidelity. . And not only that. In addition to relying on natural materials, ancient techniques and ancient tablets, the team sailed about 93 kilometers with their ship.

Most surprisingly, the durability, speed and loading capacity achieved through ancient seafaring techniques are almost as fascinating as the ship itself.

How did we live thousands of years ago? That’s the question technicians at Zayeb National Museum, New York University (NYU) in Abu Dhabi and Zayeb University asked themselves years ago. They wanted to learn more about how people lived in the region more than 4,000 years ago, to better understand their crafts, their techniques, how they traveled, how they traded.

To achieve this, they launched the ‘Magan Boat’ project in 2021, setting an ambitious goal: to reconstruct one of the boats in which they traveled in the ancient Magan civilisation, which occupied the area of ​​present-day Oman and the UAE.

So how is it done? In the most faithful way possible. To make their ship a faithful replica of the ships that passed through the region thousands of years ago, the researchers used raw materials described in an ancient clay tablet and techniques dating back to 2100 B.C. The process was not easy.

Alongside researchers, the project also involved carpenters specialising in historical replicas, with the Department of Culture – Abu Dhabi emphasising that “traditional materials and tools were used”.

15 tons of reed. Rather, it is how the Emirati team built the distinctive Magan boat that is astonishing. They used around 15 tonnes of locally sourced reed for the outer hull, which they had to soak, defoliate, crush and tie into long bundles with palm fibre ropes.

This peculiar layer was attached to a wooden “skeleton” and coated with bitumen, a waterproofing technique already practiced by ancient boat builders in the region. NYU recalls that archaeologists recently found similar examples at Umm an-Nar.

The sum of the efforts“Experts from a variety of disciplines including archaeology, anthropology, digital humanities, engineering and sciences came together to design and build the ship,” Abu Dhabi University commented.

He explains that “hundreds of experiments” were carried out to shape the ship, including, among other things, the resistance of the bituminous mixture and the reed bundles covering the frames. More than twenty experts, including engineers and archaeologists, participated in the design, which drew on ancient illustrations, technology and traditional construction techniques.

“The largest of its kind”. That’s what those responsible for the project claim, assuring that the result of their efforts is “the largest reconstruction of this kind ever undertaken.” The boat is absolutely amazing. The Magan boat is 18 meters long, has a large sail made of goat hair and is capable of carrying up to 36 tons of cargo.

“The length, width and depth were determined by a marine engineer using hydrostatic analysis to provide measurements that would allow the ship to float when the estimated weight of the cargo, ship and crew were added,” the university explained. More than 20 people are needed to hoist the sail and manage the rigging. It may seem like a lot, but Abu Dhabi experts explain that the reason is very simple: pulleys were not used at the time these boats were operated.

From theory… practice. Or more specifically, to the Persian Gulf waters off the coast of Abu Dhabi, where scientists tested the Magan ship for two days. In total, it covered about 50 nautical miles, equivalent to 92.6 kilometers, led by Emirati sailors supported by a team of carpenters. To prevent fear, the UAE Coast Guard was tasked with overseeing the experiment. Distance is not the only data left by the test. Another, equally interesting, is the speed: the ship reached 5.6 knots.

So what was the result? In Abu Dhabi, they are proud of an experiment that “sheds light on the rich maritime heritage and Bronze Age trade of the Arab Emirates.” Those responsible for the project claim that the ship “deepens” our understanding of how the people who occupied the region lived thousands of years ago and “reveals the secrets of craftsmanship that helped connect the Arab Emirates to the rest of the world.”

“Ships of this size and power enabled people living in the UAE to trade with communities as far away as Mesopotamia or South Asia.”

Images | Abu Dhabi Culture (X)

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