Bahla forum promotes traditional crafts, and cultural exchange

BAHLA: The World Heritage Volunteers Forum in Bahla is bringing together Omani and international youth in an effort to preserve traditional crafts, promote heritage awareness and encourage cultural exchange.
The forum, organised by the Bahla Volunteer Team under the World Heritage Volunteers 2026 initiative Working for the Future, focuses on traditional crafts associated with the local community, including pottery, woodworking and metalwork. The programme combines practical activities with lectures, field visits and community engagement to introduce participants to the knowledge and skills passed down through generations.
The forum, which began last week, continues until September 13, with the participation of 30 local and international youth volunteers from Oman, Iran, Egypt, Russia, India, Italy and Spain.
It is being held in cooperation with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, represented by the Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority.
The programme aims to raise awareness of the importance of world heritage and encourage young people and local communities to take an active role in protecting heritage sites. It also seeks to build participants’ skills in heritage preservation and management while creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and cultural exchange.
Sultan bin Nasser al Nabhani, head of the Bahla Volunteer Team, said the initiative represents a practical step towards strengthening awareness of heritage preservation and ensuring that traditional knowledge and skills are passed on to future generations.
The forum also highlights Bahla Fort, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and its surrounding cultural landscape, including its walls, towers, alleys, irrigation channels and traditional urban fabric. Traditional crafts form an important part of the programme, reflecting their role in preserving and transmitting local knowledge and cultural identity.
Al Nabhani said the team’s participation in the initiative brings together voluntary work, heritage preservation, community empowerment and knowledge transfer.
As part of the programme, volunteers visited a traditional coppersmith’s workshop in the historic Bahla market, where they were introduced to the origins of the craft, the tools used, the different stages of metal forming and traditional techniques. The visit was followed by a discussion session titled 'The Craft of Coppersmithing Between Heritage and Sustainability.'
The participants also took part in a practical experience in Omani pottery-making with local craftsmen. They learned about the different stages of production and the products made using traditional techniques.
A visit to the Omani Women’s Association in Bahla provided another opportunity for the volunteers to learn about traditional crafts and handicrafts, as well as how skills and experience are passed between generations among women practitioners.
The forum is also expected to produce a number of outputs at the end of the 10-day programme, including a digital database of local heritage elements, a community heritage exhibition, a short documentary film, digital stories on heritage and youth initiatives focused on sustainability. The programme will also establish a “Bahla Heritage Ambassadors” network to encourage continued youth engagement in heritage preservation.
Ali bin Said al Adawi, acting director of the Bahla Fort Site Department, said the initiative supports the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism’s efforts to preserve archaeological sites and develop them as active and sustainable centres.
Al Adawi noted that traditional crafts face several challenges, including the declining transfer of skills to younger generations, a reduction in the number of practitioners in some crafts and changing consumption patterns.
For international participants, the forum also provides an opportunity to experience Omani culture and heritage first-hand.
Omid Zahtab of Iran, one of the international volunteers, said his participation was aimed at learning more about Oman’s culture and heritage and contributing to efforts to raise awareness of the importance of preserving natural and cultural heritage.
He said traditional crafts such as pottery represent inherited knowledge that needs to be protected and transferred to future generations.
Russian volunteer Natalia Belyakova said the programme had allowed her to gain a closer understanding of Omani culture and heritage.
She said the participation of young people from different countries had helped strengthen communication between cultures and provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences related to heritage preservation.
The activities of the Bahla forum form part of the World Heritage Volunteers 2026 initiative, 'Working for the Future,' which combines fieldwork, awareness programmes and educational activities to engage young people in protecting world heritage and promoting its sustainability. - ONA