Types of Ships in Sur

Omani ships are distinguished by the multiplicity of their types and shapes; some are no longer in use, while others are still used. Among the ships for which the Wilaya of Sur was famed is the (ghanja) ship, whose design is influenced by the Indian style, but it was developed to suit the Omani character in shipbuilding, being distinguished by the carvings and ornamentation at its prow. The building of a ghanja takes a full year; its capacity is between 150 and 300 tons, and its length 75 to 120 feet, and it was used for transporting goods and trade across the oceans. It is mostly no longer in use, except that its manufacture now is made to order, the building of a single ship costing about 150,000 Omani rials. In commemoration by the people of Sur of this type of ship, a ghanja was recovered from one of the neighbouring countries, which they call {Fath Al Khair}, and they set it up as a memorial in the wilaya. Alongside the ghanja there are other types of Omani-made ships, such as the (sambuk), which is also worth about 150,000 Omani rials and takes a full year to build. As for the (badan) ship, its building takes six months and costs 30,000 Omani rials. Omani-made ships in general are distinguished by their soundness and strength, and the ages of some of them range between 160 and... a hundred thousand. It remains to point to the special rites that accompany the launching of a ship's construction at the start of its work, where they slaughter a (goat). As the work nears its end, the celebrations of the distinctive folk art of the people of the fishing craft and the professionals of seafaring are held — Omani traditional arts in which men and women take part — and the women make a rope necklace which they hand to the men to fix between the nails, to prevent water leaking into the ship in case of danger.