Jewel of Muscat delegation visits Kampong
Glam
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid | Posted: 04 July 2010 2033 hrs
SINGAPORE: The delegation of the Jewel of Muscat from Oman
was given a special welcome to the historical Kampong Glam district
on Sunday morning.
The delegation included the personal representative of Sultan
Qaboos of Oman, Sayyed Harib Thuwani Al-Said, and the ambassador of
Oman, Sheikh Humaid Ali Al-Maani.
Senior Minister of State from Singapore's Foreign Ministry, Zainul
Abidin Rasheed, played host.
The delegation viewed various cultural acts and toured the district
including a walk along Muscat Street.
Zainul Abidin Rasheed, who is also the chairman of the Malay
Heritage Foundation, said the exchange not only signifies the
bilateral exchange of trade and commerce but also the beauty of
arts, culture and traditions.
He said: "The threads of history link this Singapore neighbourhood,
called Kampong Glam, to the Middle East.
"Then located by the sea, Kampong Glam was named after the gelam
tree, whose bark was used by sailors to seal gaps in their
boats.
"As it was the seat of the Malay sultanate in Singapore and the
centre of the Muslim community, Kampong Glam naturally attracted
Arab traders who came to Singapore.
"The influence of these Arab traders remains visible today in the
names of some of the streets in Kampong Glam, one of which is
called Muscat Street.
"Singapore and Oman are working together to give Muscat Street
(between Arab Street and Kandahar Street) a distinctly Omani
flavour. This is another symbol of our close ties.
"This is more than just a ship. It symbolises the warm and close
relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Singapore, and
essentially reflects a determination to recreate the historical
bilateral and regional links between us."
The dhow is a gift from the Sultanate of Oman to Singapore, as a
symbol of the historical, cultural and trade links shared between
the two countries for many centuries.
It arrived in Singapore on Saturday after some four months at
sea.
The captain and crew, including two Singaporeans, also gave
first-hand accounts of their journey.
They shared how they had to deal with stormy weather conditions
while navigating the 9th century Arabian dhow.
Captain Saleh Said Al Jabri said: "This is now 21st century. There
are a million of ships crossing....and trying to avoid all the
ships was a dangerous itself and a challenge. Crossing the ocean,
with rain, waves and the big sea, it was dangerous."
Captain Saleh Said Al Jabri, who is retiring after spending over 20
years at sea, said the voyage is something that is close to his
heart.
He said: "Very good, bring maritime heritage and promote Oman at
the same time. It's about our forefathers, how they live. I'm very
touched, I've cried. I will miss the ship. I did not think that I
will leave the ship at the end, because it has become part of my
life, part of my body. I have taken care of it more than I have
taken care of my family in these four months."
Singaporean Jeff Khoo, a 27-year-old officer with the Foreign
Affairs Ministry, was part of the dhow's crew during the first leg
from Oman to India.
He shared what it was like being part of the team.
"The experience for me has been tremendous, very unique situation
that I found myself in. I was doing something that was completely
different and spending a month completely removed from everything
that I'm used to.
"I have not been a professional sailor by training or experience.
It was partially because of this project that I learnt how to
sail.
"It was a great and very humbling experience, because I found
myself there and having to learn all these new things - how to
handle the ropes, how to help maintain the ship, how to essentially
be a useful crew member.
"It turned out to be the longest leg. In some ways it could have
been the safest - we had decent weather. Our concern was not too
much wind but too little wind. We spent quite some time drifting,
waiting for the wind, as they would have done in the 9th
century.
"Before I left Singapore for Oman - this was in late January this
year - I first had to learn how to sail properly.
"So I went for a very good course conducted by one of our marinas
in Singapore and spent five days out (at sea), and under a very
competent instructor. At the end of it, I had a certain amount of
confidence that when I got to Oman, I would not be completely
clueless."
-CNA/ir
