Amazing Shipbuilders
There is evidence of maritime travel between Egypt and the Dhofar region of Oman in the southern part of the country that stretches as far back as 3000 B.C. Omani sailors and merchants also navigated the old Maritime Silk Road between the Arabian Peninsula and the Far East, reaching as far as China. While it is understood that interactions between these two regions flourished around the 14th century, there are indications that Omani ships have been transporting Chinese goods ever since 400 A.D. Omani ships also transported Asian goods to Africa, sailing to places such as Zanzibar in modern day Tanzania. As such, Omani ports <br> such as Sur, Muscat and Sohar became maritime hubs for trade passing from the Far East to the east coast of Africa. <br> Oman’s nautical links and reach allowed for the establishment of a maritime empire across two continents in the 18th and 19th centuries, spanning the Makran Coast from modern day Iran and Pakistan, the south-eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, and much of the east coast of Africa. This regional influence also led to interactions with European colonial powers, such as Portugal and the British Empire. Beyond the commercial ties established with civilisations across the Indian Ocean region, the Omani maritime influence also played an instrumental role in the spread of Islam to lands with which it had contact.
