MUSCAT, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic flame wrapped up its journey in Europe, America, and Africa, going back to Asia with a relay on Monday in the Omani capital of Muscat, the only stop in the Arab world.

The city's relay started from Al Bustan, six kilometers east of Muscat, where the duplicate of an ancient Suhar sailing boat is located.

The antique Suhar boat from which the replica is copied visited Guangzhou, China, about 1,000 years ago. This piece of history indicates a long connection and friendship between the two countries.

"The renewed Suhar visited Guangzhou, a southern city of China, in the 80s of the last century. It's a repeat of an ancient pioneering navigation and it's a symbol marking the long friendship between the two countries," said Fatik Bin Fahar, undersecretary of the Ministry of Heritage & Culture, who was the second torchbearer in the Muscat relay..

Hundreds of pupils chanted "China, China" through Sidab Street as a special way of greeting the Olympic flame.

The relay's 20 kilometer journey took the sacred flame through Sidab Harbor, Al Alam Palace, Muscat Gate Museum, and Al Mina Rings before reaching the final celebration site, Al Qurm Natural Park.

The first torchbearer was Sayyid Shihab bin Tareq al Said, advisor and cousin of Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and former president of the Oman Football Association.

The honor of lighting the cauldron was given to Macki Habib, vice president of the Oman Olympic Committee.

Rahma Marhoon, an athlete for the Beijing Paralympics, was the only disabled torchbearer. "I don't know much about China in the past, but now I get a chance to visit China," said Marhoon.

"It's a good chance to learn about China. I believe the Beijing Olympic Games will be a great success. Each Olympic Games progresses from the last one, so it's the same for the Beijing Games."

When asked about the protests in London and Paris, Marhoon joked that she had to hold her torch firmly. "It's quite safe here, I don't need to worry about that," she said.

Muscat is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Oman.. The governorate of Muscat has an estimated population of 600,000. The greater metropolitan area of Muscat, also known locally as the "Capital Area," currently covers an area of approximately 1,500 square kilometers.

In general, Muscat presents a relatively homogeneous appearance of low (rarely more than five storey), generally white buildings, with residential, government, and commercial architecture frequently recalling, at least by allusion, historic regional styles. For a city at the edge of the Arabian peninsula and in Oman's sometimes fierce climate, Muscat is remarkably green, with tree-lined main streets linking the various districts, several sizable public parks, and grass, shrubs, and flowers decorating many traffic circles and other public areas.