As Oman celebrates National Day within a renewed developmental approach, I reflect on several articles I authored in 2015 for the Oman Observer and I find they still hold significance.
As with most political anniversaries, every achievement – whether small or big – represents a step forward. This is a time when patriotic reporting strengthens national cohesion. Celebrations pay tribute to the country’s historical legacy, highlight its rich cultural heritage, and reinforce national solidarity.
Looking back a decade, amidst discussions on revenue diversification, oil prices, and the imperative to generate jobs, tourism has emerged as a moneymaking godsend. Since that time, Oman has been promoting its picturesque and cultural attractions as a travel destination.
The year 1990 saw the opening of the country to tourism advance with the commissioning of a study by an international firm to formulate a plan using the country’s natural resources and cultural assets. Time has passed with much still to be done. The plan for 2006-2010 proposed yachting, ecotourism, and health as new types of attractions.
Culture has become a commodity for tourism initiatives, where several legends, from flying carpets to Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad, weave narratives that captivate visitors.
For historians, romantics, or merely the inquisitive traveller, the veiled women, nobility, rugged landscapes, and remote areas within the heart of rocky plains, dunes, mountains, or beaches can provide a glimpse into the Orientalist tales romanticised through marketing strategies that promise genuine experiences.
The exotic sells. The legend of Ubar, or Iram of the Pillars, which became widely known through the book of One Thousand and One Nights (1885), illustrates the intertwining of myth and history in shaping cultural views of extinct settlements.
With Ubar, one of my favourite pieces, in the article, Oman Observer published in 2015, the legend tells of an ancient city that was wiped out by God. Archaeological findings indicate it fell apart when the limestone cave beneath it collapsed. The ruins still hold a myth and archaeological interest.
Ubar is referenced in historical writings and myths, and its vanishing is associated with the Quranic tale of the ‘arrogant and disobedient People of Ad’. For the realistic or scientific mind, the story of Ubar highlights humanity’s complex relationship with environmental fragility, which can ultimately determine a civilisation's fate.
The mountains, deserts, and coastal plains that we all love so much were shaped by geological processes dating back to ancient Ice Ages. And more, Oman is the only country on earth composed mostly of oceanic crust and rocks from the earth’s mantle.
From Arabia Felix to the Oman of thousands of years of development influenced by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Indus, and Persian Empires, including the Achaemenids and Sasanians, Islamic civilisation, and Portuguese, Ottoman, and British presences, to what we know nowadays, the country has a unique social tapestry. All these interactions combined resulted in a rich and diverse Omani culture.
The love and pride in the nation’s shared culture, including its history and achievements, emphasises patriotism; it provides a feeling of attachment and pride not just among the people of Oman but all those who lived or still live in this intrinsically exquisite land.
National Day celebrations serve to reinforce social cohesion while transmitting historical narratives and values across generations. Recognising history helps us understand the context of our collective progress. Various groups may offer varying interpretations of history about who or what deserves celebration. The decision of what to remember is inherently political and can lead to the erasure of certain historical narratives and figures.
Acknowledging the foundations laid by those who came before us is a profound way to express gratitude for our present development and opportunities. Salute to you, Oman.
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