A TRIBUTE TO TIES

GOLDEN 40 YEARS: Oman, China inaugurate Sohar ship memorial in Guangzhou

GUANGZHOU: Eighteen years ago, Sohar, a cotton-sailed dhow, retraced the 9th century voyage of its original namesake, from Muscat to Chinese city of Guangzhou to spread love, friendship and peace. On Thursday, Oman and China inaugurated a memorial to commemorate the ship’s historic journey to celebrate the centuries-old ties that bind the two countries.

The memorial is also a part of the celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations between the Sultanate and China. The ceremony was held in the presence of Dr Abdulmunim bin Mansour al Hasani, Minister of Information, officials of China and Oman.

Prior to the inauguration ceremony, Dr Al Hasani spoke about the heritage and historic ties shared between ancient Oman and Chinese civilisations. He also touched on the journey of the famed Omani sailor Sinbad the sailor from Sohar to Canton on Sohar dhow in the 9th century. “His Majesty Sultan Qaboos ordered in 1980 to restore the memory of this historic relationship through the reconstruction of the Sohar Ship, which took the same path taken by Sinbad to the city of Guangzhou...today, we are all recalling the memory of our ancestors and unveiling the Sohar Ship Memorial to stand as a witness of our deep historic relations,” the minister said.

The Vice Mayor of Guangzhou said, “The friendship and love between the Sultanate and the People’s Republic of China has been constant since ancient times. This celebration comes to mark the 40th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries as well as the fifth anniversary of launching the belt and road initiative”.