Muscat: Oman Across Ages Museum received 7,708 visitors on the first day of the Hijri New Year from various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.
Nasser bin Saeed al Riyami, Head of the Visitor Services Department, said that a number of measures were taken to facilitate the movement of visitors inside the museum, including assigning an additional number of employees to facilitate the movement of visitors and answer their inquiries.
The museum administration is working on improving procedures for booking tickets to enter the museum and exhibition halls by developing an online ticketing platform, which will soon be available to the public, and self-service ticketing machines.
The museum halls receive visitors from Saturday to Thursday from nine in the morning until five in the evening, and on Friday from 1. 30 pm until 7 pm seven in the evening.
The museum has been ranked among the best new buildings in the world and has been shortlisted for this year’s World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards, which will culminate in one building winning the title of “World Building of the Year” in December.
The museum, built under the Royal orders of the Late HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said who laid the foundation stone for the project on July 14, 2015, is the largest of its kind in the region, offering visitors an interactive experience of the cultural and geographic diversity of the Sultanate and the building includes galleries, a library, an auditorium, cafés, and social and research spaces.
The permanent exhibition space on its own is 9,000 sqm and some galleries stretch more than 20 meters high.
The museum takes one on a vast, sweeping journey through time. Starting with the first settlers of prehistory and ending in modern-day Oman, you fly through different ages, dynasties, and civilizations.
The Renaissance Gallery marks the culmination of this long national story. It follows the country’s remarkable economic, technological, political, and social modernization under the Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
Oman Across Ages Museum seeks to introduce the various historical eras witnessed by the Sultanate such as the geology of the earth and its first inhabitants, up to the era of the blessed Renaissance and the various achievements in it in various sectors, in addition to looking forward to the future in line with the aspirations of the Sultanate of Oman.
It will have an interactive audio-visual narration using the latest technologies in this field with the aim of creating an enjoyable, educational museum experience for various visitors.
Importantly, the museum sits at a crossroads through time – it is a journey through Oman's past, a celebration of its present, and an insight into its future.
It may be noted that last year the Royal Court Affairs (RCA) launched a competition last year to design a logo for the Oman Across Ages Museum.
A statement from RCA said that the logo must be based on the ancient history of the Sultanate of Oman till the Blessed Renaissance, achievements witnessed during the Blessed Renaissance, also the nature and geographical diversity of the country.
The logo must be innovative and not borrowed from other logos or designs of any party, whether local or regional, or international. The participant bears legal responsibility for intellectual property rights.
The Museum is located in the Wilayat of Manah, which is situated around 160km from the capital and is known for some of its old ruined villages.
The design of the building and the materials used in the project have been deeply connected with the local Omani landscape.
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