His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on Monday patronised the official opening of the Oman Across Ages Museum in Manah that was built under the Royal orders of late Sultan Qaboos bin Said who laid the foundation stone for the project on July 14, 2015.
Following the official opening by His Majesty the Sultan, I was honoured to represent Oman Observer as one of the first few journalists to visit the museum. I found out that it demonstrates Oman’s transition between its past, present and future in an interactive and modern style by audio-visual means, right from the early stages of past glories to its bright present.
As I entered the museum, one major attraction of the museum is the Range Rover vehicle that late Sultan Qaboos used to visit the site of the museum. “The car that belonged to late Sultan Qaboos is the main attraction at the entrance of the museum. It is significant because he used it in 2015 to visit the museum project site,” Haitham Saleh al Hinai, Cultural Relations Administrator, said on Monday.
The museum, the largest-of-its-kind in the region, offers visitors an interactive experience of the cultural and geographic diversity of the Sultanate of Oman. The museum building includes galleries, a library, an auditorium, cafés, and social and research areas with a permanent exhibition space being 9,000 sqm, and some galleries stretch more than 20 metres high.
JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
The museum, located in the Wilayat of Manah, around 160 km from the capital Muscat, takes the visitors on a vast, sweeping journey through time starting with the first settlers of prehistory and ending in modern-day Oman, as they navigate through different ages, dynasties, and civilisations.
Reaching the Oman Across Ages Museum, I found that its building is an environment-friendly structure. It assumes a low profile on the eastern side, so that it could receive sunlight in the morning, and protect the internal spaces from direct sun rays.
Gavriel Baruch, visitor service specialist, said that Monday was a big day because the museum was honoured to have His Majesty the Sultan as the first visitor. “This museum covers full history of Oman, from pre-historic to renaissance period. The museum has lot of facilities and we are excited to welcome visitors,” he said.
While inside, the Renaissance Gallery, one of the significant galleries, caught my attention. It marks the culmination of Oman’s long national story. It follows the country’s remarkable economic, technological, political, and social modernisation under late Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
As a visitor, I was introduced to the various historical eras witnessed by the Sultanate of Oman, such as the country’s geology and its first inhabitants, up to the era of the blessed Renaissance and the various achievements in various sectors.
FUTURE VISION
The museum also takes the visitor to the future in line with the aspirations of Oman’s future vision from the past experiences – a journey through Oman’s past, a celebration of its present, and an insight into its future.
The design of the building and the materials used in the project have been deeply connected with the local Omani landscape.
Oman Across Ages Museum seeks to highlight the unique model of the Sultanate of Oman, introduce its prominent features, its ancient history and its renaissance which is continuously making progress at the local and international levels under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
According to officials, the museum contributes to spreading awareness and consolidating the relationship of Omani youth with their cultural heritage, while at the same time encourages them to interact in a manner that effectively inspires their participation in building their homeland and shaping its structures.
I was informed that, the project, whose foundation-stone was laid by late Sultan Qaboos in 2015, occupies an estimated area of 300,000 sqm, and it has a constructed area of 66,591 sqm. Its design is inspired by Al Hajar Mountains.
It introduces an architectural wonder that represents the Omani environment, with its unique geographical traits.
CREATIVE CHARACTER
The project organisers envisaged that the edifice has a creative character, an icon that represents Omani Renaissance era in terms of structures and manifestations. It portrays Omani architecture in a unique modern style, along with its technical details, construction features and building materials. Its design replicates the standards of castles and ancient buildings. Typically, its walls cool down the passing hot air. Since some specifications require that the building be an environment-friendly structure, high-quality Omani stones from the governorates of Al Dhahirah and North Al Batinah were used to coat the walls of the museum, both from inside and outside, covering a surface of 130,000 sqm. Waste materials from the stones has been utilised in the garden.
The museum is distinguished for its glass facades that extend to heights ranging from 9 to 16 metres, and sometimes rising up to 25 metres, offering the building clarity and prominence over the horizon.
The specifications include the use of steel colour glass. Four layers of glass are used, each 6 centimetres thick and extending to 5 metres upwards.
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