News & Event

A national symposium titled "Living Heritage: A Human Story and the Sustainability of Knowledge" was held at the German University of Technology (GUtech) on the occasion of the "Celebration of the World Day for Intangible Cultural Heritage." The symposium was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Education, represented by the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the GUtech. The symposium targets researchers and academics in the field of culture, graduate students specializing in intangible cultural heritage, and those working in this field. The symposium focused on cultural indicators of intangible cultural heritage and the role of governmental and private entities in preserving this type of heritage.

The symposium, whose opening ceremony was held under the patronage of HE Eng. Ibrahim bin Said Al Kharousi, Undersecretary for Heritage at the Ministry of Heritage, and Tourism, and in presence of HE Sayyid Said bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Culture at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, aims to shed light on the World Day for Intangible Cultural Heritage and indicators of intangible cultural heritage in the Sultanate of Oman in light of the dimensions of sustainable development. It also aims to raise community awareness of the role of intangible cultural heritage in healthcare, highlight the importance of digital documentation of intangible cultural heritage, and the implications of intangible cultural heritage in light of the philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman.

The opening ceremony of the symposium included a speech by the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, delivered by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Abri, Secretary of the National Commission, in which he said: “Our memory is full of intangible cultural heritage elements that have contributed to shaping our cultural identity and our diverse personalities, in accordance with the geographical nature and spatial environment associated with all these elements. This memory is the same for every person on this planet, with different features and images; features that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is keen to sustain, and it requests that member states translate them into periodic reports that measure the extent to which countries implement the guiding principles included in the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and evaluate their capabilities to safeguard intangible heritage elements.”

In his speech, he emphasized the Ministry of Education's role, first and foremost, in incorporating intangible cultural heritage topics into school curricula and presenting them in a manner consistent with artificial intelligence technologies to encourage students to study and research this heritage. He praised the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth's role in giving special importance to intangible cultural heritage, and the ongoing cooperation witnessed with the National Committee to achieve the objectives of the 2003 Convention and disseminate its principles.

Maryam Al Kharboushi, Director of the Cultural Identity Department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, delivered the Ministry’s speech, in which she said: “The Sultanate of Oman realized early on the value of this heritage and its importance in building the human being and preserving the national cultural identity. It was among the first countries to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and since then it has been working steadily and passionately to document its cultural elements and register them on UNESCO’s international lists, to introduce the world to its cultural and human richness.”

In her speech, she referred to the elements registered by the Sultanate of Oman with UNESCO: Al-Azi, Al-Razfa, Al-Bar'a, Al-Taghrud, the palm tree, Arabic coffee, the Omani dagger, cultural councils, the Oman Youth Ship Project for Sustainable Cultural Dialogue, and other elements that embody the Omani spirit and the depth of their belonging to their land and heritage.

In concluding her speech, she emphasized that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth continues its efforts in this field by implementing specific programs and initiatives, such as national capacity-building programs for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, and engaging youth, researchers, and interested parties in the documentation, listing, and promotion of this cultural heritage at the national and international levels, based on the belief that the preservation of cultural heritage is a collective responsibility, and that youth are the custodians of its transmission to future generations.

The event's patronage and attendees then listened to a debate between students from the Directorate-General of Education in Al Dakhiliyah and in North Al Batinah Governorates on the importance and contributions of intangible cultural heritage to the economic and social development of communities, and the extent to which this heritage contributes to the achievement of development plans and sustainable development goals. A film was then screened about the Omani elements inscribed on UNESCO's Inscriptions. The event's patronage then toured the exhibition accompanying the symposium, which included photographs by Omani photographers and ancient Omani manuscripts reflecting the vocabulary that the Sultanate of Oman was able to inscribe on UNESCO's Inscriptions.

The symposium program included two working sessions. The first focused on intangible cultural heritage: policies and initiatives and included three working papers. The first paper was delivered by Khatma Al Rashidi, Head of the Intangible Heritage Department at the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, entitled "Intangible Cultural Heritage Indicators in the Sultanate of Oman in Light of the Dimensions of Sustainable Development." Engineer Majid Al Muhanna from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented the second paper entitled "Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Relationship between Culinary Arts, Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development." The third paper, titled "Intangible Cultural Heritage Stations on the 'Glories of the Seas 2025' Journey," was presented by Lieutenant Colonel Hilal Al Habsi from the Royal Navy of Oman.

The second working session, which focused on the role of government and private entities in intangible cultural heritage, included three working papers. The first was on the role of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth in preserving and documenting intangible cultural heritage, presented by Ahmed Al Shehhi from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The second paper, presented by Salem Al Hesini from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, addressed the cognitive heritage associated with the fishing profession in the Sultanate of Oman - customs and traditions of the sea. In his third paper, Sultan Al Hesini from Al Batinah Stud Foundation highlighted the contributions of intangible cultural heritage to healthcare: horse breeding as a model.