To better understand explorers and exploration we watched the first part of an interesting documentary on the Jewel of Muscat. The Jewel is an Arab ship that sailed from Oman to the Far East in the 9th century. The design and construction of the Jewel of Muscat was inspired by a 9th century Arab sailing vessel discovered in the territorial waters of Indonesia, near Belitung Island, in 1998. Its cargo included various artifacts ranging from Chinese and Arab ceramics, to silver and golden pots and coins, as well as the spice star anise (source: www.jewelofmuscat.tv).
