SUR -- The Wilayat of Sur is a maritime wilayat in the Sultanate, which is very rich with tourist potentials that made it a destination for domestic and foreign tourism. It is renowned for its rich marine history and shipbuilding, whether fishing ships or cargo ships.
Sailors of the Wilayat of Sur toured many seas and oceans as the wilayat has made Al Ghanja ship its emblem that reflects the ancient history of the city.
Fath al Khair ship is the last ship in the fleet of the Wilayat of Sur, which had a major role in publicising Oman in the ports wherever it anchored. The generous efforts of the loyal sons of the Wilayat of Sur resulted in buying the ship Fath al Khair and bringing it back to the place where it was built.
Fath al Khair is characterised by its solidity, timber quality and its beauty, which make it a historical masterpiece that embodies the glorious past of the Wilayat of Sur, both craftsmen and sailors.
It is one type of Al Ghanja ships. Fath al Khair returned to Sur on Friday, June 18, 1993 after buying it from Yemen and was steered by Captain Mohammed bin Hamad bin Najim al Ghailani.
Fath al Khair was built in 1951 in Al Rasha neighbourhood in the city of Sur. The manufacturing of the ship was supervised by Mohammed bin Khamis al Oraimi. Fath al Khair is owned by captain Said bin Ali bin Khamis Walad Sheila al Qasimi and took one full year to be completed. A number of skilled carpenters participated in the building of the ship. Fath al Khair is the first ship to use the diesel engines instead of the sails in 1957.
Cap Abdullah bin Rashid bin Said al Muhanna al Sinani and captain Said bin Mubarak al Ataiqi were among the most famous captains who steered the ship.
Fath al Khair served 43 years, 24 years in the Wilayat of Sur, and 19 in Dubai and Yemen after selling it. The ship toured the seas and oceans, especially Basra, the GCC states, Arab and Persian ports, as well as ports in East Africa and India.
In its voyages, Fath al Khair carried cargoes to and from Oman. It carried Omani exports, including dates, salted and dried fish, dry lemon and salt. It also imported Iraqi and Iranian dates, saffron, Yemeni coffee, timber and spices from the East Africa.
Other exports included grain, particularly rice and wheat, sugar, silk and cotton textile, Chinese porcelain and stone tiles used in roofs and front gates in India.
Fath al Khair is currently in Al Rasha neighbourhood. The place has been turned into a tourist attraction to the locals and visitors from different nationalities. The location has been beautified and provided with small ships like Sanbooq, Al Houri and Al Mashwa, in addition to Fath al Khair Centre.
© Oman Daily Observer 2014
