Abu Dhabi's Zayed National Museum navigates UAE's maritime legacy

Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the UAE, will celebrate the rich history, culture, and stories of the country and its people from ancient times to modern day. The museum, set to open its doors to the public soon, aims to tell the story of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose legacy still guides the nation. One of the exhibit highlights here will be the reconstruction of a Bronze Age boat that was done with the assistance of a team of shipbuilders from Kerala, India.

The Magan boat

Since the project began in 2021, more than 20 specialists in a vast array of fields including archaeology, anthropology, digital humanities, shipbuilding, engineering, and science have worked hard to bring the boat to life. There was also a team of students from Zayed University and New York University Abu Dhabi who worked on the project. “When it came to the sea trials, we had two Emirati captains who led a 17-man crew.

“Experimental archaeology is a hands-on approach to understanding the past. Researchers can gain insights that are hard to appreciate through desktop research alone. It allows us to test hypotheses, try different methods, and use different materials. It allows us to experience the spontaneous innovation and problem solving that the ancient boat builders experienced every day. This is especially valuable when the archaeological record is incomplete, and we need to bridge some gaps in knowledge. It is also a powerful educational tool for students to experience history in a hands-on way,” says Dr Emma Thompson, Acquisition and Commission Unit Head, Zayed National Museum.

Ancient shopping list

The team undertook a lot of research into archaeological finds in the region to piece together how to construct the Magan Boat. The materials used to build the boat were based on a clay tablet from ancient Iraq, which essentially provided a ‘shopping list’. “We were committed to creating the most historically accurate and authentic reconstruction of a Magan Boat. Throughout the whole process of building the boat we only used techniques which would have been available to shipbuilders in the region 4,000 years ago. This includes the technique for creating bundles of reeds and coating the hull in bitumen to waterproof it. The sail was made from woven goat hair,” says Thompson.

Rich heritage

For the unversed, the UAE’s relationship with the sea stretches back thousands of years. From the earliest communities in the region 8,000 years ago, people were closely linked to the sea and used boats for deep sea fishing and commuting to other nearby communities for trading. For some people this connection to the sea is part of their DNA. This project provides a powerful reminder of that identity. This region was referred to as Magan in Mesopotamia and the boats that sailed to and from this region were therefore known as Magan Boats or the boats of Magan. Some scholars say the cuneiform symbol for the ‘ma’ in Magan means boat, so you could say the UAE’s maritime heritage is directly connected to the first name of the region.

The whole process of building a boat of this size using only natural materials and Bronze Age techniques really shows just how sophisticated and innovative ancient maritime communities were. The boat was built by a crew of skilled shipwrights with years of experience building traditional boats. Their skill is a reminder of the aptitudes we are slowly losing with the invention of more and more machines. “The day we launched the Magan boat was a very stressful day for everyone involved. Once we raised the sail and were sailing smoothly, it was a magical experience. We stayed out for many hours, testing her in different conditions and documenting her performance against that day’s wind conditions. We had an incredibly experienced Emirati captain who said he was impressed by how a boat of this size was able to sail so smoothly on the sea. Sailing on the boat felt like being transported back 4,000 years. There was no loud motor, just the sound of the wind in the sails and the waves against the hull. I was struck by the sensation that the boat had been brought to life by the sun and salt water,” says Thompson.

• Discover Phuket, Thailand’s most misunderstood island