Promotion of its rich heritage and culture is a consistent endeavour in the Sultanate which believes that it is the best way to build bridges of friendship with people of other cultures, and the upcoming seminar entitled 'Oman: the start of early Arabian civilisation' is being organised at Unesco headquarters in Paris on September 7. The seminar, which is the initiative of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, will strengthen government's drive to list more of its heritage sites in Unesco's world heritage records. Many sites in the country are already listed with Unesco, and adding others would ensure their importance to historians and research scholars. As HE Salim Bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Under-secretary at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture said the Sultanate's belief is that heritage is human history which belongs to everyone.
Want to read UNESCO Daily News Updates? Click Here!!!
Oman's Heritage Sites
It is this belief that is at the core of all the country's cultural initiatives, and the upcoming seminar will trace the history of the settlements in the region. Scientists, research scholars and experts in the field of heritage and culture will present their papers on the occasion in which the focus will be on data collected during surveys and studies conducted in the country. Oman's heritage sites continue to draw the attention of the scientific community, students and the visitors in general and these include ancient forts, aflaj systems and other heritage landmarks in various regions of the country. By creating awareness of its culture among people of other nationalities, the Sultanate has over the past many decades attracted much of world attention; this has proved advantageous to its economy and raised the country's profile as a centre of art and culture.It is also one of the reasons why Oman has become a popular tourist destination in the world, attracting thousands of visitors each year. It has been Oman's firm policy since ancient times to learn about other cultures and make other communities aware of its own cultural traditions. And, over the past many years, government initiatives have been directed towards engaging world communities by holding cultural exhibitions, educational, art and sports programmes abroad.
The world has come to recognise the Sultanate as a culturally rich and peaceful country – a land of many charms and beauty blessed with rugged mountains, desert and blue seas. It is no wonder that since ancient times the country's natural beauty has given rise to many cultural traditions that are alive and flourishing today. These are reflected in art form and folklore, and have a tendency to burst out on festive and other national occasions. History records that during the process of its development into a modern state, Oman has maintained its old traditions – this reflects the strong influence of the country's cultural ethos on a society which both peaceful and hospitable. In fact, societies in many nations of the world are struggling to maintain a balance between their ancient cultures and modern living styles. The Sultanate has done this successfully, and as its developmental march continues its society can rest assured that the country's rich cultural heritage will be in safe hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment