News & Event

The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Education, was able to include two new cultural elements in the UNESCO program to celebrate the fiftieth or centenary of important historical events and globally influential figures: the 350th anniversary of the establishment of Jibreen Fort, and the 150th anniversary of the death of the historian and poet Humaid bin Muhammad bin Raziq. This came during the participation of the delegation of the Sultanate of Oman in the meetings of the Administrative and Financial Affairs Committee emanating from the forty-second session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO, which is currently being held - during the period from 7 to 22 November 2023 at the organization’s headquarters in the French capital, Paris.

UNESCO included Jibreen Fort in this program as one of the important historical events, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of its establishment during the reign of Imam Belarab bin Sultan Al Yarubi, and its construction was completed in 1675. This fort is considered one of the most important Omani architectural masterpieces of the seventeenth century. The most skilled craftsmen and architects of the time participated in its construction, and it was used as a rural residence for the Imam and the seat of his rule. At that time, Fort Jibreen became a scientific center with professors and scholars who were supported and promoted by the Imam himself who encouraged students to learn various sciences and specializations, such as: jurisprudence, law, literature, history, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and chemistry. The fort was a unique scientific university visited by many scholars as university professors who stayed there for a period of time to teach. It is noteworthy that the number of scholars and writers who graduated from this scientific center during the era of Imam Belarab bin Sultan exceeds forty scholars.

During this session, UNESCO also included the historian and poet Hamid bin Muhammad bin Raziq, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his death. Ibn Raziq is considered one of the most important Omani historians in the nineteenth century. He worked on documenting the historical phase extending from the

establishment of the Al-Busaid dynasty until the end of the reign of Sayyid Said bin Sultan in 1856, and he documented its facts and events with all honesty and accuracy. He also documented the activity of the European powers in the Indian Ocean and the Arab region. His books became a witness to that period and a reliable reference for its events for researchers in the history of Oman. His works were reviewed by a number of specialists from inside and outside Oman. His style was characterized by being neutral in writing events, and examining the narratives that described events that preceded his time. He was also open to the knowledge of others, non-Omanis and looked at the collections of major Arabic poets such as Ibn Tammam, Al-Mutanabbi, and Ibn Hani’ Al-Andalusi.

By including these two files during this year 2023, the number of cultural elements that the Sultanate of Oman included in this international program has become eight, as it was able over the past years to include six Omani figures in the UNESCO program to celebrate the fiftieth or centenary of important historical events and globally influential figures, and they are: the linguist Al-Khalil bin Ahmed Al-Farahidi in 2005, and the doctor and pharmacist Rashid bin Omairah Al-Hashimi Al-Rustaqi in 2013, and in 2015 the polymath and social reformer Sheikh Nour Al-Din Abdullah bin Humaid Al-Salmi, the doctor and physicist Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Azdi, nicknamed Ibn Al-Dhahabi, were included, then the Omani poet Nasser bin Salem Al-Rawahi, nicknamed Abu Muslim Al-Bahlani in 2019. Finally, the Omani navigator Ahmed bin Majid Al Saadi was included in 2021.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Education, represented by the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, announced the designation of the 10th of February of each year as an annual day to celebrate the memory of globally influential Omani figures who are included in the UNESCO list to celebrate the fiftieth or centenary of important historical events and globally influential figures. It is the day that marks the accession of the Sultanate of Oman to UNESCO on February 10, 1972. The celebration of this day aims to introduce influential Omani figures at the local and global levels, and to shed light on their cognitive and scientific legacy.