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Observer
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Observer
OMAN-RUSSIA COOPERATION REPRESENTS CULTURAL TIES
The cooperation between Oman and Russia has evolved significantly over the years, particularly in the realm of cultural exchange. This relationship is underscored by a mutual respect for each other's heritage and a commitment to fostering deeper ties through various cultural initiatives. Jamal bin Hassan al Mousawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, expressed his pride in the cultural and museum cooperation between the National Museum; and various museums and cultural institutions in the Russian Federation, which reflects the depth of historical relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Russian Federation spanning centuries. He noted that this cooperation represents the culmination of both countries' efforts to strengthen cultural and civilisational ties. He stated: "The National Museum maintains distinguished relations with leading Russian museums, foremost among them the State Hermitage Museum, one of the largest and most prestigious museums in the world. This cooperation began in 2014 when Professor Dr Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director-General of the State Hermitage Museum, joined the Board of Trustees of the National Museum. This was followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two parties in 2015, paving the way for numerous pioneering museum initiatives and culminating in the strategic relationship the two museums enjoy today." He pointed out that the qualitative initiatives implemented in cooperation with the State Hermitage Museum include hosting the "Oman Day" initiative in the Russian Federation in 2018, establishing the first "Oman Hall" in 2020 and hosting the "Hermitage Day" exhibition at the National Museum in 2019 for the first time. Additionally, the State Hermitage Museum has received several National Museum staff for training and qualification in various specialised museum fields, a collaboration that continues to this day. He touched upon the second exhibition under the "Hermitage Corner" initiative, titled "Gifts from the Emirs of Bukhara and the Khans of Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court," which opened this year (2025) at the National Museum. This coincides with the exhibition "The Omani Empire Between Asia and Africa" in the "Oman Hall" at the State Hermitage Museum. Jamal bin Hassan Al Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum He affirmed that these exhibitions enhance cultural exchange between the two friendly nations. He noted that the "Oman Hall" initiative at the State Hermitage Museum aligns with the National Museum's vision to introduce the world to Oman's civilisational, historical, cultural and scientific heritage at regional and international levels. This is one of the objectives outlined in Royal Decree No (62/2013) regarding the establishment of the National Museum and its system. The initiative includes signing long-term loan agreements with global museums to display Omani artefacts, most notably the "Oman Hall" at the State Hermitage Museum, which opened in 2020 and will continue for three to five years. He added that cultural initiatives include "Oman Day," an event lasting three to six months, featuring educational and cultural activities such as seminars, lectures and musical performances. Among its most notable recent events was the exhibition "Splendor of Silver: Treasures from the Omani Court," held at the Moscow Kremlin Museums in 2024, showcasing historical artefacts belonging to the Sultans of Oman in Muscat and Zanzibar. This reflects the National Museum's efforts to promote Omani civilisational and historical heritage globally. He continued: "Strategic cooperation was evident in the tripartite framework for preserving Syrian cultural heritage damaged during the years of crisis, through hosting conservation experts from the Hermitage in Muscat to restore Palmyrene artefacts. These artefacts are part of the archaeological site of Palmyra, a Unesco World Heritage Site." He highlighted that, as part of displaying Omani artefacts abroad, the National Museum unveiled the original manuscript of a collection of maritime navigation poems (Al-Safaliya, Al-Mu'allaqiyya, Al-Ta'iyya) by the Omani navigator Shihab Al Din Ahmed bin Majid al Saadi, on loan from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St Petersburg in 2021. This made the manuscript available to the public after more than five centuries, as the oldest maritime manuscript in the world written by the Omani navigator himself. Al Mousawi mentioned that in 2023, three cultural cooperation agreements were signed with three museums: the Moscow Kremlin Museums, the Shchusev Museum of Architecture and the Tretyakov State Gallery, on the sidelines of the National Museum's participation in the 9th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum. Regarding cooperation with the Tretyakov State Gallery in Moscow, he announced ongoing efforts to organise an exhibition of Russian avant-garde art in the Sultanate of Oman, scheduled for late 2025. He noted that this exhibition stems from the great interest in avant-garde and abstract art in Oman. Additionally, the Tretyakov State Gallery will host an exhibition organised by the National Museum in June this year (2025) to promote modern Omani visual arts in Moscow. He praised cooperation with St Petersburg State University through the launch of a dedicated "Oman Publications Corner" in 2022, which enriches the knowledge of Arab studies students about Oman's civilisational and intellectual aspects. He also expressed his pleasure at signing an agreement to establish an "Oman Publications Corner" at the Chechen State Pedagogical University. For his part, Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director-General of the State Hermitage Museum and member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman, stated that cultural relations between the Russian Federation and Oman have seen significant enhancement and development in recent years. Major museums in both countries, particularly the State Hermitage Museum and the National Museum of Oman, play a pivotal role in this trajectory, he affirmed. He added that cooperation between the Hermitage and the National Museum began with the latter's establishment in 2013. Since then, staff from the National Museum in Muscat, especially conservators, have regularly visited St Petersburg to participate in practical training programmes organised by Hermitage experts. He noted that in 2018, the State Hermitage Museum hosted the first "Oman Day," featuring an exhibition and accompanying programmes. The following year, the National Museum of Oman hosted "Hermitage Day." In 2019, agreements were signed between the two museums to regulate artefact loans for temporary exhibitions in both Russia and Oman. He mentioned that in 2020, the Winter Palace hosted the exhibition "Oman: Land of Frankincense," displaying archaeological treasures dating from the third to the first millennium BCE, discovered in Oman over the past 50 years. In 2021, the Hermitage inaugurated the "Oman Corner," a unique innovation allowing regular exhibitions of National Museum artefacts. The same year, the National Museum in Oman officially opened the exhibitions "Islamic Civilisation in Russia" and the "Hermitage Corner," operating on the same principle. Professor Piotrovsky affirmed that cooperation between the two museums extends beyond expert exchanges and temporary exhibitions. For example, in 2021, restorers from the Hermitage's Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Sculpture and Semi-Precious Stones completed the restoration of several Palmyrene funerary inscriptions displayed at the National Museum. He pointed out that in 2023, an official ceremony was held at the National Museum in Muscat to hand over a carved stone lintel dating to the mid-fourth century CE to the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic. This was achieved through cooperation between the Hermitage, which enjoys close ties with the British Museum and the National Museum of Oman. He mentioned that in 2025, the Hermitage Corner at the National Museum of Oman hosted the opening of the exhibition "Gifts from the Emirs of Bukhara and the Khans of Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court," featuring Hermitage artefacts. This exhibition marked the first event of the "Russian Seasons" festival, a major arts and culture festival in Oman, including exhibitions from leading Russian museums, concerts, workshops, lectures and film screenings. He pointed out that in February2025, the Hermitage hosted the premiere of the documentary 'The Khanjar', produced by RT Arabic in cooperation with the National — ONA
Muscat Daily
05-03-2025
- General
- Muscat Daily
Omani exhibition in Russia draws over 400,000 visitors
By OUR CORRESPONDENT St Petersburg, Russia – The second exhibition within the Oman Hall Initiative at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, titled The Omani Empire between Asia and Africa, attracted 414,481 visitors between December 2023 and January 2025. Visitors from around the world expressed admiration for the unique museum collections, which showcased Oman's rich history and its influence as a maritime empire. The exhibition featured 28 artefacts from the Al Yaruba and Al Busaidi periods, highlighting Oman's role in connecting the Arabian Peninsula, West Asia, and East Africa from the 17th to the 19th century. Following the success of the first Oman Hall exhibition, inaugurated on 2 June 2021, this latest edition reaffirmed the strong cultural ties between Oman's National Museum and the State Hermitage Museum. The State Hermitage Museum, one of the world's largest and oldest museums, houses over three million masterpieces and welcomes around 5.3 million visitors annually. The State Hermitage Museum
