By: Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi

The sultanate of Oman has unique geographical characteristics, which combine the desert, the mountain, the plain and the sea. Therefore, if the agricultural side with its mountain, desert and plain represent one aspect of the Omani culture, the sea with its formidable challenges represents the other .

Oman is blessed with 1700KM of coast line that stretch from the tip of Musandam in the north of Oman to Dhalkut, the last point in the governorate of Dhofar. It was through towns such as Muscat, Mutrah, Sur, Sohar, Salalah and Mirbat that Oman was able to interact with the other nation which our merchants traded. This evidently indicates that the Omani people were seafarer since ancient times.

Today we will trace the story of a maritime legend which traded across the Indian ocean and moved among several countries in the Gulf, Indian subcontinent and East Africa and was an ambassador of Oman wherever she landed.

The dhow "Fatah Al-khyr" whose name means "triumph of the good" was given this name due to the fact that it rained in the first day in which it was constructed. In addition the name signifies optimistic expectations of her later commercial activities. It is of a ghanjah type which is characterised with its small stem head ornament that has a rounded projection carved with concentric circles. Surmounted by a trefoil crest, with an iron ring. The trefoil crest is the hall mark of the ghanjah. It design owe more to the Indian Kutya.

Fatah Al-Khyr was built in Sur in 1951under the supervision of an excellent and master carpenter Mohammed bin Khamis Alshagag Alaraimi with the help of many skilful carpenters and was the first dhow to shift to a diesel engine in 1957. It was built in Alrashah(a name of a place in Sur) for the Omani captain Said bin Khamis AlQasimi. The dhow has a capacity of 220tonnes therefore its construction took one year.

The dhow was destined to work in Sur for 24 years where she was among the Omani ambassadors who traded with countries such as the Gulf Countries, Yemen, India, and East Africa. Among the nawkhudas (sea captains) who sailed Fatah alkhyr for many years in its voyages Abdullah bin Rashid bin Said Alsinani and Said bin Mubarak alattiqe Alfarsi. After performing for almost a quarter of a century with its original owner this dhow was sold to Saif bin Said Aljarwani a merchant in Dubai to end up with a Yemeni merchant. Ever since that time she embarked on her agony and sense of alienation as a result of being away from her hometown. Even though she was executing her task efficiently and try her best not to reveal her misery, when the night darkness shelter her surrounding, she aired out her grievances alone in the beach and promised herself to return to Sur one day as if she was repeatedly singing the song of the renowned Lebanese singer Fairouz "we would return to our home one day". She actually never gave up hope and her prayers were answered in 1993.

In order to preserve this valuable heritage the Omanis raised the required amount to purchase this dhow- the only ghanjah believed to be existing to date.

Once the decision was made, the man entrusted to accomplish the mission was the retired sea captain Mohammed bin Hamad bin Najim Alghailani who spared no time and flew to Aden to initiate the negotiation of the deal and defied the expectation of his fellow Omanis when he brought Fatah Al-khyr to her cradle place. Since the sea    is rough during the summer people thought that he would bring her to Salalah and stop there.

The people of Oman were so delighted to see one of their pearls restored. They flooded towards the beach to stare at her with admiration and happiness. They were overwhelmed with her arrival to the same station where she was built, after a long separation and could not help but reveal their joy.

Some of the Suri poets expressed their utmost happiness for her return through their poems. Among the poets was Mohammed Ali Bahwan who attempted to calm her       down and assured her that she reached home safe and that she is among her loved ones. He could see her shocked since modernity had changed the characteristics of the place and that she was seeing youngsters whom she was not familiar with therefore, he tried to attract her attention with his poem entitled "Returnee":

Oh Returnee do not show the tears of sorrow

Your posture can tell more than your tears

Do not complain I feel your tears run in my blood

It is revealed as a result of agony through expression

Oh my darling do not ask who I might be

I am the grandson of those who acquired their fame as seafarer

I am the grandson of those who crossed the ocean in you

Those whose determination never abates

Once the dhow reached her original station, it was lifted up on the dry land. As a result, today Fatah Al-Khyr remains the legend, which speaks loudly about Oman's maritime heritage and brings to mind similar stories such as that of Sultanah who sailed as an Omani ambassador to New York back in the 1830s and many others

Date:13/06/2006

Source:Omanet.