HERITAGE VILLAGE A walk through the early history
MUSCAT: The Muscat Festival continues under the theme “Let’s Celebrate Together” with a variety of events that are suitable for all segments of the society. Among the various events of the festival is the ‘Heritage Village’ at Al Amerat Park, which is a realistic embodiment of the Omani villages, showcasing live scenes that reduce the time and space to discover the richness and diversity of heritage, as well as the popular market in the village.
Craftsmen in the Heritage Village show their craftsmanship by making various crafts, such as handicrafts from the date-palm fronds, daggers and silverware, traditional costumes, etc. The Heritage Village has many traditional legacies in all its forms, in addition to traditional Omani costumes like Omani ornaments and daggers.
There are also a number of heritage exhibitions in the village, most notably Nasra al Ghizailiyah exhibition, which includes many heritage artefacts, most notably the Black Baisa, an ancient Omani coin dating back more than 120 years, inscribed on it 1315 AH and the name of Sultan Turki bin Sultan, in addition to the French Qirsh dating back to 1780. It also includes old ornaments of various forms, in addition to the old cooking tools made of the finest types of copper of all sizes, and children’s items, such as clothes and (Al Minz) or the crib on which the child sleep, and dairy preparation tools.
The village also has a special section for Omani traditional meals, which is very popular among the visitors of the festival to taste the Omani meals. The Golden Hills restaurant is located at the centre of the Heritage Village in Al Amerat Park to serve various delicious Omani meals.
The Heritage Village is similar to the different Omani environments. The village has an agricultural environment that simulates agricultural life in the past, traditional farming methods, reliable tools in agriculture, traditional methods of digging for water. The ship is also present to refer to the marine environment and its associating aspects like salt-making methods, in addition to the Bedouin environment where visitors come to learn about the Bedouin lifestyle system and the traditional methods of transportation by using camels, donkeys and horses.
Omani artists have a special presence that varies according to the background in which the art is presented. The Heritage Village has a number of traditional arts, such as the sea art, including (Al Midima and Al Makwara). The art of ‘Al Razha,’ ‘Al A’zi’ and ‘ Al Ayyalah’ are also performed. The village also has a special theatre for the famous ‘Maled’ art, which is considered one of the traditional arts of the Sultanate.
The ‘Al Hol Hol’ or the 1st birthday has a special place in the Heritage Village as it attracts the attention of the visitors. It is an inherited habit that still exists, to celebrate the first anniversary of the baby, with the attendance of children, and gifts are distributed to them.
The traditional market in the Heritage Village is witnessing a large sale of merchandise including perfumes, frankincense, Omani costumes, jewelry, Omani “Kuma” or cap, spices, woman’s cosmetics and many products, in addition to traditional meals as the festival is an important marketing platform for Omani products to support the productive families.