Initiated by Zayed National Museum, the project to rebuild the boat aims to expand what we know about the Gulf’s maritime past and the wider history of ship construction. The boats once connected ancient Gulf communities to those as far away as Mesopotamia in modern-day Iraq and South Asia.
The ‘Magan vessel’ from the Bronze Age is on a mission to recreate an important chapter from the UAE’s ancient past while pointing to the future of one of its most important cultural institutions.
BACK IN THE DAY
The vessel, called a Magan Boat in ancient times, was built with raw materials described on an ancient clay tablet and using techniques dating back to 2100 BCE. The boat passed several rigorous tests and covered a distance of 50 nautical miles (92.6 kms) in the Arabian Gulf. Captained by Emirati sailors with a team of shipwrights from the broader region and accompanied by the UAE Coastguard, the ship passed two days of sea trials, reaching speeds of up to 5.6 knots under a sail made of goat hair.
Over 50 nautical miles (92.6 km) were covered at speeds reaching 5.6 knots, driven by a sail woven from goat hair. The boat’s composition reflects the remarkable ingenuity of Magan’s ancient craftsmen, with a hull made from 15 tonnes of locally sourced reeds, reinforced with date palm fiber rope, and coated in bitumen for waterproofing.
THE NEED FOR IT NOW
The Zayed National Museum spearheaded the project to rebuild this historic boat, aiming to illuminate the Gulf’s maritime heritage and the evolution of ship construction. These boats once bridged ancient Gulf communities with regions as far-flung as Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq, and South Asia.
This intricate construction process was guided by historical documents from ancient Iraq. “We used strands of information from various sources,” explains Peter Magee of the Zayed National Museum to a leading daily of Abu Dhabi. “Texts from ancient Iraq, written in Cuneiform script in languages like Neo-Sumerian and Babylonian, provided lists of materials needed for these boats — wood, reeds, goat hair —though not the methods. It was like a puzzle, piecing together the clues from history to bring this boat to life.”
Visitors will see the Magan Boat on display when Zayed National Museum opens on Saadiyat Island. For more details on visiting hours and ticket information, check the Zayed National Museum’s official website here, or call +97121234567.
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