Sindbad: The Travels of

The Travels of
Sindbad
1 Explorer Tim Severin steps back a thousand name. On his second voyage, Sindbad
years to recreate Sindbad’s legendary voyages. 30 was carried by a giant bird to “the valley of the
The selections below detail Severin’s adventure. diamonds”—a place possibly in Sri Lanka, a
country famous for its precious gems.1
An idea forms Later, during his sixth voyage, Sindbad claimed
5 To recreate Sindbad’s voyages, I’ll need to Serendib’s king held magnificent parades
research, design, and build an early medieval 35 during which huge, decorated elephants
Arab ship and use it to sail from the Persian marched in the streets. In fact, what visitors
Gulf to China. Searching for more data to Sri Lanka may have seen during Sindbad’s
about traditional Arab ships, I visit the time (and can still see today) was Perahera—a
10 country of Oman, which has a long history of parade held every year in which people and
shipbuilding. I am welcomed to Muscat (the 40 elephants, dressed colorfully, march through
country’s capital) by the Minister of National the streets to honor the Buddha.2
Culture, who tells me that Oman will pay for
15 the entire project—the ship, the crew, the Adrift at sea
voyage—all on behalf of the Omani people
In early February, we depart Sri Lanka,
and the Arab world.
hoping to catch strong winds that will carry
The voyage begins 45 us eastward toward the Indonesian island of
Sumatra. The winds are light, however, and
With a team comprised of 17 Omanis and 10 after three weeks at sea we are still 1,127
20 Westerners, our ship Sohar departs Muscat on kilometers (700 miles) away. I begin to worry
November 23 and heads east into the Arabian about our fresh water and food supplies. And
Sea toward India.
50 then we get lucky. In early March, a storm
By December, we reach India’s coast, and after passes over and we catch fresh water. About a
a short stay, we sail to Sri Lanka, or Serendib, week later, the crew also catches 17 sharks and
25 as early Arabs called it. The name has given replenishes3 the food supply.
us the word “serendipity” (meaning “a lucky
chance”) in English, and it’s easy to see why
early visitors to this beautiful island gave it this 1
A gem is a jewel or stone (for example, a diamond) that is used in jewelry.
2
Buddha is the title given to Gautama Siddhartha, a religious leader and
founder of Buddhism.
112 Unit 8 Legendary Voyages 3
If you replenish something, you make it full or complete again.
Arab dhows being built at Sur, the shipyard where Sohar was built.
For centuries large oceangoing ships that sailed to Africa and Asia
were built here.
More likely it was the great ape of Sumatra:

The Land of Gold the orangutan—a highly intelligent animal
55 On April 5, two months after leaving Sri who is a close relative of humans and is now
Lanka, the winds accelerate and we make 80 an endangered species in the forests
progress. Finally, by April 18, we reach of Indonesia.
Sumatra, known during Sindbad’s time as
the Land of Gold—a place of great wealth Stormy weather
60 and beauty, but also believed to be home to
After a brief stay in Sumatra, we sail quickly
terrible dangers.
to Singapore and then on to our final
Here, during his fourth voyage, Sindbad’s 85 destination: Guangzhou, China. In the South
crew met island natives who fed them food China Sea, we’re hit by a violent storm. Our
that made them sleepy. Once drugged, the main sail is broken, and as the crew struggles
65 crew was to become part of the natives’ dinner to repair the damaged sail, the ship nearly
menu. Fortunately, Sindbad refused to take capsizes.4 During his sixth voyage, Sindbad
the food, and as a result was able to escape 90 spoke of the terrible weather in this region,
before he could be eaten. Hashish, a drug and for the next five days, Sohar is hit regularly
derived from a plant and used in northern by storms. The weather finally improves, and
70 Sumatra as a flavoring in food, may have been by July 11 we reach the port of Guangzhou.
the source for this story. We have been at sea for seven and a half
95 months and have covered 9,656 kilometers
While visiting Sumatra again during his fifth
(6,000 miles).
voyage, Sindbad was captured this time in a
forest by a short, old man with dark skin and Our Chinese hosts treat us to a huge
75 red hair who could not talk. Sindbad called celebration, though at one point, I can’t
this strange person the Old Man of the Sea. help but feel sad. We have traced Sindbad’s
100 route, and now our great adventure is ending.
But inside me, there is happiness too: the
generosity of the Omani people, and the
determination of the men who built and sailed
Sohar made the voyage a reality. Now this
105 journey, like Sindbad’s seven voyages, will
become another tale to be told.
4
If a boat or ship capsizes, it falls and turns upside down in the water.

Five years before his Sindbad voyage, explorer Tim Severin led
another expedition to sail across the North Atlantic. The team
traveled from Ireland to Canada in a traditional
Irish boat made from wood and leather.
8B Tales of the Arabian Nights 113

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