Reed bundles, black bitumen and goat hair inside the remarkable reconstruction of a Bronze Age vessel that once sailed the Arab Gulf

Guided by archaeological evidence from the Arab region, a team of scholars and traditional boat builders was able to recreate and successfully sail a Bronze Age boat typical of the ancient Magan region, which encompassed parts of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

The book documents a remarkable experimental archaeology project by Zayed National Museum, in partnership with Zayed University and New York University Abu Dhabi. The book details the recreation of a Bronze Age boat that in 2024 successfully sailed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, once part of an ancient region known as Magan. Guided by archaeological evidence found across the region, including on Abu Dhabi's Umm an-Nar Island, a team of scholars and traditional boatbuilders recreated the boat to gain knowledge of how Magan connected with its trading partners and to shed light on the UAE's maritime heritage. Using only hand tools, the team employed techniques and materials based on clues found in ancient evidence, with reed bundles for the hull, black bitumen for the waterproofing and goat hair for the sail. The boat has a home in Zayed National Museum at the heart of Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District. Through a fascinating narrative and beautiful design, the book takes a deep dive into the archaeological evidence of Bronze Age boats, the building of the museum's Magan Boat and two days of sea trials around the islands of Abu Dhabi.