Did you know Egyptian artifacts were found in Oman?
For the first time in 2019, ancient Egyptian artifacts dating back to 1300 and 100 BC were found at the archaeological site in the Wilayat of Dibba in Musandam during excavations, conducted by archaeologists from the University of Rome.
Researchers managed to unearth an oval-shaped tomb, which was part of a large funerary complex and built in the period from 100 BC to 300 BC.
It is reported that the remains of 12 people were found in the tomb, as well as many funerary objects, including ceramic, stone and bronze vessels, swords and iron arrows, as well as silver and gold jewellery imported from other countries.
Many artifacts turned out to be much older than the tomb. Among them stands a powerful ancient Egyptian amulet, found on the territory of the Sultanate of Oman for the first time.
The Egyptian Eye of Horus amulet was also discovered at an archaeological site, which is a symbol of royal power and good health. The first features a stone inscribed with the cuneiform name of De Jolla, a Mesopotamian god of healing, and is thought to have been imported from what is now Iraq.
An amulet is an object believed to have certain positive properties that, as the amulet’s main function, can magically be bestowed upon its owner.
In ancient Egypt, this magical power was often derived from a combination of several aspects, such as the amulet’s shape, decoration, inscription, colour, material, and words spoken over the piece or acts performed with it.
Amulets were usually worn or placed on the body to transfer their powers directly to the owner. Often amulets were pierced or featured a loop, which allowed their use as pendants on a necklace, for example. Among many other possibilities, they could be incorporated into rings or enfolded in a piece of fabric that was then attached to a string. This means that amulets could be worn without having any means of suspension themselves. When used for the dead, they were placed on the mummy or in between the mummy’s bandages. While amulets are often small, on average ranging from two to six centimetres (about 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches), funerary pieces such as winged scarabs can be as large as twenty-five centimetres (nearly ten inches) wide.
Ancient Egyptian amulets represented animals, deities, symbols, or objects in miniature. In addition, certain things found in nature, such as a claw or shell, were thought to be imbued with magical power and therefore could function as an amulet as well. So-called textual amulets also occur; these usually consist of a short magical spell written on a piece of linen or papyrus that was then folded and put on a string. Theoretically, anything could be made into an amulet through a magical act. Today, we often identify an ancient Egyptian object as an amulet based on its shape and size, and — in some cases — its use as a pendant. However, outside of their original context, many amulets, especially those created in nature, can no longer easily be recognised as such.
Amulets often carried more than one meaning, and thus more than one possible function. Headrest amulets (04.2.80) depict a piece of furniture that supported the neck of a sleeping person and was often decorated with protective images. From early times on, full-size headrests were placed in tombs to protect the dead. Additionally, their function of raising the head was associated with the deceased rising and being revived, and further significance resulted from the formal resemblance between the round head on the curved headrest and the sun rising between two hills, which evoked a powerful symbol of resurrection and rebirth.
OMANI PRESENCE AT BIBLIOTHECA ALEXANDRINA
Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) is a significant library and cultural centre on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. The new library complex was inaugurated on October 16, 2002.
In May 2022, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina received a set of gifts from the Sultanate of Oman, which were delivered by Ambassador
Abdullah bin Nasser al Rahbi, the Sultanate of Oman’s Ambassador to Egypt and the Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States.
Dr Moustafa Elfeki, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, said these donations are an added value to the library’s researchers and specialists and give an insight into the Sultanate of Oman.
During that occasion, two books on the history of Oman were launched - ‘The Omani Empire’ by Dr Saleh Mahrous, and ‘Ziad ibn Al Muhallab’ by researcher Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel Majid.
The other book donated to the BA included ‘Oman My Beautiful Country’ by Mohamed bin al Zubair. The Omani Cultural Attaché has also offered books on various topics and fields, such as history, literature, media, intellect and poetry. It also includes a collection of scientific books translated into Arabic as well as several publications in English.
‘The History of Islam and the Death of Celebrities and Luminaries’ by historian Al Dhahabi is one of the most important books in the donated collection.
The book tackles a period in Islamic history, from the beginning of the Hijrah to 700 AH, and it includes the deaths of celebrities and luminaries during the period from 501 AH to 520 AH.