We Love Oman: Famous dhows of the past at Dhow Factory

Just past the Sur corniche, in the shadow of the Khor Al Batah Suspension Bridge, is the Dhow Factory. The museum inside the Dhow Factory has replicas of some of the famous dhows of the past, with specifications and tales of their exploits.

As you take a walk inside the factory you can see how wooden boats were made in earlier times. Dhows, which means boat in Arabic, are unlike modern ships as they are handmade, even now. The only electrical equipment used at the Dhow Factory is the drill. Dhows vary in design and size, though most are built using teak wood. Each design is unique, as they always have been.

The Sur Maritime Museum charts the history of shipbuilding in the town. The maritime museum in Sur houses pictures and models of Omani ships and their captains and shipbuilders, the ports the ships frequented, as well as the equipment and tools used for navigation, such as instruments, maps, and manuscripts.