Oman today is not the old nation of yesterday; its poor living standards and ill-fated face have completely changed. Since the onset of the blessed Renaissance in early 70s, the country started shaking off the dust of isolation and standstill, opened its doors to light, interacted with global changes and got influenced by them. It’s not only that, but it has become a leading country on various fronts in the world.
It’s strong, cordial and historical relations dated thousands of years with many countries all over the world and played a key role in forming Oman’s unique history and culture. One way or the other such relations are of high significance to a nation. Today, the country has been adapted to modern and revolutionised lifestyle, it has never lost its genuine identity, culture and heritage.
As His Majesty Sultan Qaboos addressed his people: “It has been very clear to us that our heritage is not only represented by forts, castles and ancient buildings, but by customs and traditions, science, art and literature passed on from one generation to the other. The real preservation of heritage will not be accomplished unless we understand this and cherish it.”
Nobody can deny the fact that every corner of the country is blessed by historical or cultural treasures. Whether it is a fort, a castle or any other landmark or antique, they are all valuable assets that need to be well-looked-after and admired. Oman is a rich historical country indeed, and this distinguishes it from other parts of the region
and the world.
For instance, some of the archaeological sites and historical and cultural landmarks are internationally renowned. Not only these, but there are other art forms which are highly admired worldwide. Most of these national treasures are on the
list of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).
According to Oman’s National Centre for Statistics and Information, there are around 9,403 archaeological and heritage places in the Sultanate until 2018, of which 14 are on the Unesco list. This is certainly great! We should all promote this and be proud of it.
Other than that, we have around 1,029 Omani heritage villages until 2018 in the country. However, most of these villages are abandoned, while they represent valuable treasure. They reflect the olden days of our ancestors as well as they mirror the creativity
of Omani architects who built these villages.
On the other hand, for all the national treasures which should be preserved, citizens should play a key role in the heritage and history protection process. Their role is significant to help the government bodies concerned conserve all historical, heritage and cultural assets. They should all be jointly protected as national wealth and inherited to next generations.
In order to invest on these national treasures, I believe it will be really great to turn some of the historical tourist and heritage places as museums or landmarks. Such destinations will attract visitors from the country and abroad and generate income to the country. Case in a point, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information,
around 125,876 people visited Nizwa Fort in 2018, an increase of 9 per cent compared to 2017.
If we are to be proud of Oman’s great heritage that we have inherited from our ancestors, who did their best to protect it, this pride must not be our ultimate aim. Heritage and culture should be well-preserved and passed on to generations to come. This responsibility shall be shared and reliably taken care of by all Omanis along with the government authorities.
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