author - oman observer

Winter is the ripe time for festivals – there are literary festivals, art shows and biennales that are making an artistic mark in our region. This year’s Muscat Nights festival is no exception to...

As the new year meanders on in often unpredictable ways, books offer the surety we crave. Of course, writers also reflect the world in which we live, but this is done with a more distant, objective...

With the onset of the New Year, many resolutions are doing the rounds: reading more, spending less time on digital devices, losing weight, and sleeping better.These are laudable personal goals....

The pursuit of reading as a hobby has seen contradictory impulses in the last few years. While we assume that people are reading less because of multiple distractions, facts prove otherwise. The rise...

2025 has offered vast challenges to the field of education, most of which revolve around the role of technology and Artificial Intelligence. While markets discuss the possibility of a potential crash...

In a post global world, the power of translation is taking centre stage in ways that centre regional cultural and linguistic dynamics. This was the key take away from a major international conference...

We now have a brand new symbol for the Omani Rial, inspired by the Arabic script and calligraphy. This move supports the internationalising of financial services, and also serves to preserve heritage...

As the National Day celebrations in Oman draw to a close, the sight of families and friends enjoying the cool outdoors was a heartening sight. Not so encouraging was the sight of young teenagers glued...

As Oman celebrates its National Day, the focus this year has shifted to interesting ways in which history is being showcased and narrated. Drawing direct lineage to the Al Busaid State, founded in...

One of the most consequential questions that face educationists in the present day of automation and Artificial Intelligence is the relevance of learning to write.If machines can write within seconds,...

In a world dominated by technology, automation and globalisation, there is no doubt that higher education needs to find ways to align its goals with specific market needs if it is to be of value to...

An anecdote in a leading journal has recently created buzz in higher education. A student just ‘asked for a little help’ in writing a paper due the next morning. Within seconds, she got a ready...

The recently held QS Arab Forum for universities had good news for Oman’s higher education sector. While the flagship Sultan Qaboos University climbed in rank from 362 to 334, four other...

Much has been written about Omani women entrepreneurs, leaders and institutional trendsetters. Another aspect to celebrate this Omani women’s day is the leading role that they are playing in...

It is Nobel Prize season and at no other time has this award been more discussed internationally. But the literature prize was less the focus of attention this year. Hungarian writer László...

World Translation Day was celebrated on September 30 with a variety of events, workshops and seminars. This time, one of the most discussed topics was, of course, the role of Artificial Intelligence...

Two important events took place in the last couple of weeks that have a direct relation to Arab cinema. The first is the phenomenal reception that the film ‘The voice of Hind Rajab’ got in the...

When Palestinian professor and poet Refaat Alareer was killed in an air strike in Gaza, his poem ‘If I must die’ echoed through the conscience of the world. “If I must die/Let it bring hope/let...

Imagine being able to see the ancient wonders of the world, including the hanging gardens of Babylon or the lighthouse at Alexandria, as if it existed today. One could wander in the serene gardens or...

A report released last week suggests that reading for pleasure has seen a massive 40 per cent dip over the last two years. Based on a study by the University of Florida, the study found that, while...