Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Sur

Even though Sur now only produces one or two dhows a year, Indian workers here repair the famous boats that have made the reputation and prosperity of the city since the first millennium BC. The two most popular models at that time were the baggala and the ghanja. Today, the tradition continues in the rules of art, and the ghanjas, smaller sailing boats, are still built according to ancestral methods, caulking being done with shark fat and plaster. Electrical instruments are used to cut the dhows, which six workers manage to complete in 5 months at an average cost of 40,000 OMR. The shipyards also produce Sharks, slender wooden boats that can be rowed like skiffs or outriggers. Specific to Sur, these boats are used every year in February, on Special Day, for extremely popular races. If you continue along the road along the lagoon, you will see a magnificent example of a dhow built in Sur more than seventy years ago, which has now emerged from the water and is erected on the ground like a statue or rather a museum witness of the past: the Fatah al-Khair. If it is not possible to get on board to visit the interior, it is interesting to approach the sides of the boat to observe the finishing touches. Traditionally, ships were made by hand, without nails, and hand-woven ropes were used to strengthen the joints.

It is the local "croisette" where you can stroll in the mild hours if you sleep on the spot. The place runs along the beach and comes alive especially at the end of the day, when the football players take the sand by storm and the fishermen come to sell their catches. The cornice is then enlivened by a beautiful effervescence, very local and essentially masculine. At high tide, as you approach the port, you can watch the ballet of fishing boats and dhows coming in and out. Little advice to these ladies: as always, wear covering clothes.

In calm weather, this wild and secluded beach is a great spot for both swimming and camping. Embedded between two cliffs, the clear sand is bordered by an emerald sea with translucent water, which make up an idyllic landscape for a few hours of idleness away from the city or an overnight stay in the open air during a road trip to or from Ras al-Jinz for example. In windy weather, a swell forms and the bay becomes capricious - avoid swimming. Access is easy from Sur if you always follow the road closest to the sea.