Haitham highlights policies of Sultanate
Sayyid Haitham said that His Majesty’s directives are undoubtedly an approach that should be followed by everyone in every field to foster the Omani identity and national unity
MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture hailed the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, which call for moderation in facing challenges.
In a speech published by Shurafat Al Majlis magazine of the State Council, Sayyid Haitham said His Majesty’s directives undoubtedly are an approach that should be followed by everyone in every field to foster the Omani identity and strengthen national unity.
This can be achieved by “the government and civil society institutions working in an integrated manner.”
He also praised the cultural role played by the Sultanate throughout its glorious and bright history. “Oman has been dealing with all nations on the basis of mutual benefit and joint responsibility. It distances itself from all internal and external conflicts and disputes. This makes Oman a cradle for coexistence, moderation, openness, cultural assimilation and human brotherhood,” he affirmed.
Sayyid Haitham shed light on the vital role played by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in promoting and preserving the Omani identity.
Restoration work
Sayyid Haitham added that the ministry pays special attention to the restoration of castles and forts because it believes these form Oman’s tangible cultural heritage. The ministry plays the role of an everlasting incubator for all aspects of heritage and culture.
He said, “‘Sustainment, Protection and Employment of the Architectural Heritage’ programme includes the restoration and maintenance of 177 archaeological monuments, such as castles, forts, towers, fences and archaeological mosques.”
“The ministry also restores the artefacts discovered at archaeological sites. Museums in Oman play an important role in preserving these artefacts, the most important among them being the National Museum,” he added.
He said the ministry recently published an Omani Encyclopaedia which features heritage elements related to Oman and its people. This Encyclopaedia has become a reference for researchers and those interested in Oman and its civilisation.
Preserving heritage
“Since the dawn of the Blessed Renaissance, the ministry has been implementing several programmes for preserving, protecting and properly employing Oman’s architectural heritage. These programmes include the restoration and maintenance of a large number of castles, forts, towers, fences and archaeologically important mosques,”he said.
Referring to the old villages, the Minister of Heritage and Culture said the ministry is currently working on restoration of Harat Al Bilad in the Wilayat of Manah and Harat Al Jama’ in the Wilayat of Adam, along with the restoration of the towers front of Harat Al Sulayf in the Wilayat of Ibri. He pointed out that the restoration work will hopefully be completed soon, and these sites will be handed over to the Ministry of Tourism to use them to create an added value for local communities.
Further, he added that the ministry has completed the project that involved identifying the old villages in various governorates across the Sultanate during the first phase. The villages were documented through photographs and architectural descriptions, in addition to categorising them into three categories. Each category involves certain requirements and standards that should be met in terms of their rarity, historical significance, structural status, special architectural features and the diversity of the architecture forms.
UNESCO list
He pointed out that at the international level, in the last five years, the ministry was able to include seven elements of the Omani heritage in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This reflects the ministry’s approach in preserving such cultural heritage, in addition to highlighting the importance of these elements at the international level. He said: “We are currently preparing two files to be submitted in the coming years.”
He added that the ministry has compiled a list of Oman’s intangible cultural heritage elements. This list includes hundreds of cultural elements. It categorizes these into various forms of intangible cultural heritage, such as crafts, customs, traditions, fashion, etc. This categorisation is in line with the international standards followed by UNESCO.
Sayyid Haitham said, “While all these efforts have been exerted by the government, I think the society should also play its role in the preservation of intangible cultural heritage as it is an essential building block in forging our national identity.”