Jordan has its Underwater Military Museum off the coast of Aqaba, Egypt recently added one near Hurghada, and now Oman is getting in on the action, creating a collection of submerged military hardware close to the famed Daymaniyat Islands Nature Reserve in South Batinah.
According to an article in the Muscat Daily, the ambitious project – a collaboration between the Environment Authority and the Ministry of Defence – involves placing decommissioned military equipment, including seven MAN Atlas trucks and a Skyvan aircraft, on the seabed with an aim to increase coral growth and encourage proliferation of marine life by creating a new eco-system that mimics natural coral reefs.
Additionally, the project is designed to boost marine tourism by providing a unique attraction for tourists and divers, while also relieving pressure on existing coral reef sites within the nature reserve.
Hamad al Ruzaiqi, Head of Coastal Areas Department at Environment Authority, said: “This initiative seeks to bolster eco-tourism by establishing a unique tourist attraction catered to diving enthusiasts, thereby enhancing Oman’s tourism sector. The museum will open its doors to diving enthusiasts in July. We anticipate witnessing coral reefs flourish within the next six months.”
