Just outside Al Bustan Palace Hotel, opposite the imposing parliament buildings, a small roundabout is home to Sohar, a boat named after the hometown of the famous Omani seafarer Ahmed Bin Majid. The boat (a replica of one sailed by Abdullah Bin Gasm in the mid-8th century to Guangzhou, China) was built in the dhow yards of Sur from the bark of more than 75,000 palm trees and four tonnes of rope. Not a single nail was used in the construction.
British adventurer Tim Severin is a renowned historian and travel writer who spent a lifetime retracing legendary voyages to determine if they were practically feasible. He engaged a crew of Omani sailors to sail Sohar to Guangzhou in 1980. The journey of 6000 nautical miles took eight months to complete and helped prove that the mythical tales of Sinbad may well have been based on fact.