News

Oman Pavilion in Biennale Arte 2022 Italy Reflects Creativity, Cultural Diversity Muscat, 22 Jun (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2022 in Italy reflects the creativity and diversity of arts and culture in Oman. Sayyid Said Sultan Al Busaidi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth’s Undersecretary for Culture and Commissioner General of Oman's pavilion at the biennale told Oman News Agency (ONA) that Oman’s participation in the biennale for the first time is an opportunity for pioneering Omani artists to present various forms of fine art. ...

Corner for Omani Publications Launched at Russian Saint Petersburg University Saint Petersburg, 14 Jun (ONA) --- The National Museum launched a specialised corner at Saint Petersburg State University in the Russian Federation for a collection of Omani publications highlighting different fields. The move comes within the framework of cultural cooperation between the National Museum and Saint Petersburg State University, represented by the Institute of Oriental Studies. The corner aims to empower students within the field of Omani studies, and provide them with knowledge on ...

Muscat, 14 Jun (ONA) --- President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the United Republic of Tanzania visited the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) today.During the visit, the Tanzanian guest was briefed on the House, its facilities and shows, as well as its programmes and the latest equipment used in the world music shows. She also viewed the ROHM unique architectural designs creatively combining Omani architectural and cultural legacy with the modern architectural pattern. She also familiarized herself with the role of the house in the cultural field and its presentation of prestigious classic ...

Rome, 9 Jun (ONA) --- Sayyid Said Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture met here today with Lucia Borgonzoni, Italian Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture.The meeting came on the sidelines of the Omani Cultural Days’ activities which are currently being held in the Italian capital, Rome.The two sides reviewed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the cultural sphere between Oman and Italy which is expected to be discussed and signed in the near future.The two sides also explored prospects of cooperation in restoring, ...

Rome, 8 Jun (ONA) --- Activities of the Omani Cultural Days began at the Colosseum Archaeological Park in the Italian capital, Rome. The event is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, with the aim of extending cultural communication between the Sultanate of Oman and the countries around the world through culture and arts. The Omani Cultural Days run through ill 10 June 2022. Sayyid Said Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the ministry is keen to be present in global events ...

Rabat, 7 Jun (ONA) ---- The pavilion of the Sultanate of Oman at the 27th International Book and Publishing Fair in Rabat, Morocco, is witnessing a remarkable turnout as the pavilion plays a pivotal role in introducing the visitors to the Omani culture. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and the Ministry of Information are participating in activities of the fair, which run from 2 to 12 June. in its (27) session during the period from 2 to 12 June. LatifaMoftaqir, Director of the Fair praised the distinguished displayed publications at the Omani pavilion. --- ...

Florence, 5 Jun (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman won for the fifth time consecutively, two World Cups in the 40th FIAP Youth Digital Biennial in the under 16 years-old category and the under 21 years-old category. Sayyid Said Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture told Oman News Agency (ONA) that winning the two cups for five years consecutively is a testimony to the skills of Omani photographers and their readiness to bag awards and medals. He added that participation in such international competitions would ...

Muscat, 2 Jun (ONA) --- A new book authored by Dr. Said Ahmed Al Ghaddani takes up the issue of bad habits and how to overcome them.Published by Injaz Printing and Publishing, the book picks up the example of smoking as one of the worst common habits that can be tackled in specific ways, so that, even an addict can be terminally rehabilitated.“To drop a bad habit, it all depends on sincere desire,” said Dr. Said in the introduction of the book, noting that the book, titled “Extinguish its Fire”, comprises smart ideas and genius solutions that can be applied in the ...

Muscat, 31 May (ONA) —- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) will open the doors of a brand-new Music Library and Exhibition of Musical Arts tomorrow (Wednesday). The exhibition is titled: “Oman and the World: A Musical Journey”. The House of Musical Arts aims to provide an extensive resource for educational enrichment. The Exhibition of Musical Arts explores the unique story of music across the world. Told from the perspective of Oman’s musical traditions, it has been specially curated as the first of its kind, an incredible immersive and interactive audio and ...

Alexandria, 26 May (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman’s embassy in Cairo, Egypt, presented two history and geography encyclopedias as gifts from Oman to Alexandria Library. The first encyclopedia, titled “Oman Since Antiquity”, showcases the contribution of Oman—as a state and society—to human civilization. The second, titled “Jibal Oman”, reflects the diversity of the country’s unique geographic and topographical features. On this occasion, Alexandria Library unveiled two new Omani books. The first, written by Dr. Saleh Mahroos, deals with the rise and decline of ...

Muscat, 25 May (ONA)-- Dr. Lubana Mushawih, Syrian Minister of Culture, has said that shared civilizational and cultural values between the Sultanate of Oman and the Syrian Arab Republic are numerous and deep-rooted in history.She added that the two countries constituted major landmarks along the Silk Route, and this made interaction among their civilization a natural and crucial outcome.“The Sultanate of Oman serves, along with Syria, as a twin home for stone age and bronze age relics,” said Dr. Lubana.She told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the two countries had signed a memorandum of ...

Muscat, 24 May (ONA) --- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) announced its upcoming production titled “Play”, an inspiring show perfect for audiences of all ages. This dynamic presentation is a fitting event to conclude the 2022 Royal Opera House Muscat season. Play takes the art of elite sport and creates a mesmerizing show exploring themes of competition, spectating, emotional connections and the fantastical in a production which is both sophisticated and personal. The audience can enjoy this thrilling production for the whole family at ROHM on 26-28 May 2022. ...

Muscat, 22 May (ONA) --- President Sergio Mattarella of the Republic of Italy has conferred the order of the Star of Italy (knighthood) to Jamal Hassan Al Musawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum. The order was handed over by Federica Favi, Ambassador of Italy to Oman, during a ceremony held in Muscat today. The ambassador lauded the role of Al Musawi in enhancing the bilateral relations in the fields of culture and museums between the two countries since 2011. Al Musawi cooperated with Italian expertise during the foundational phase of the National Museum project, ...

Muscat, 21 May (ONA) —- The National Museum today inaugurated the exhibition “Syria: the Cradle of Civilisations” in cooperation with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums in Damascus. The National Museum also inaugurated the “Loaned Artefacts from the Republic of India” in the Museum’s Oman and the World Gallery in cooperation with the Indian Embassy in Muscat, under the patronage of HH Sayyida Mona Fahd Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) for International Cooperation and Deputy of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum.Present ...

Muscat, 19 May (ONA)—The National Defence College (NDC) today hosted Dr. Nayef Falah Al Hajraf, GCC Secretary-General, who delivered a lecture titled “GCC—Aspirations and Challenges”. The lecture fits in the curriculum of the college’s 9th course.Al Hajraf outlined the GCC’s march of development and cooperation among its member states at different levels since the council’s establishment way back in 1981.The lecture touched on the GCC’s position in the backdrop of regional and international events—the bloc’s elements of strength and the challenges posed to its method of ...

Beijing, 18 May (ONA) --- An "extremely rare" 18th Century Chinese vase bought in the 1980s for a few hundred pounds and kept in a kitchen has sold for £1,449,000. The 2ft (60cm) blue-glazed, silver and gilt vase was created for the court of the Qianlong Emperor. Decorated with cranes and bats, it had been estimated to sell at auction for between £100,000-£150,000. The vase was owned by a surgeon who passed it on to his son who had not realised its value. Berkshire-based Dreweatts Auctioneers said it was only when a visiting antiques specialist spotted it that its true value ...

Muscat, 17 May (ONA) --- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) announced that the upcoming concert, which will be held on 19-20 May 2022, will star the famous Arab singer Melhem Zein, known throughout the Arabic speaking world for a voice which resounds with an epic ‘mountainous’ quality, earning him popular attention from around the world. The audience will enjoy a concert dedicated to Zein’s repertoire, paying homage to the greats of Arabic music heritage. During his 24-year career, Melhem Zein has explored the music of the artists Wadih El Safi, Mohammed Abdel Wahab ...

Turin, 15 May (ONA) —— Italian police today said they foiled a cyberattack targeting the final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) that was held in Turin.Hackers tried to break into the systems on the opening night on Tuesday and during the final that ran from Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday, the police said.The attacks were traced back to Russian hacker group Killnet by cybercrime specialists assigned to the ESC, after rumours that Russian groups might try to disrupt the event. While the ESC is a cultural event, it is also politically charged, and Russia was excluded this ...

San Francisco, 11 May (ONA) --- The Omani writer and novelist Jokha Al Harthi took part in the annual Bay Area Book Festival, held in Berkeley, San Francisco. She participated in various panels on books, culture and literature in Oman to celebrate her newly published novel titled “Bitter Orange Tree”. A number of US newspapers and journals lauded the novel, including the New York Times. --- Ends/Anas ...

Muscat, 10 May (ONA) --- Oman will host the 35th FIAP Black and White Biennial – Oman 2022 from 24 to 31 October 2022 in Muscat. Oman will be the first Middle East country to host this international event. A meeting was held to this effect between Said Sultan Al Busaidi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth’s Undersecretary for Culture and Riccardo Busi, President of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) Board of Directors. The idea of hosting this global event emanates from the cultural strategy launched by the ministry at the end of 2021, which ...

Muscat, 10 May (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, will participate in the 33rd edition of Tehran International Book Fair, due to kick-off tomorrow Wednesday. The participation aims at introducing the Omani culture and highlighting its literary production. Oman's pavilion will include various literary and historic publications in different languages, in addition to several publications and titles on various literary, intellectual, scientific and historic areas. As many as 1700 local ...

Tehran, 9 May (ONA) --- The 33rd edition of Tehran International Book Fair will kick-off at Tehran's Grand Prayer Grounds this Wednesday. Ali Ramazani, Deputy Secretary General of the fair told Oman News Agency that the event will be held in full adherence to health protocols as it was halted for two years due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. As many as 1700 local publishing houses and 178 foreign publishers representing 32 countries will take part in the event. Ramazani added that the State of Qatar will be the guest of honour in the fair, which lasts till 21 ...

Vienna, 8 May (ONA) --- Austria's former health minister Rudolf Anschober has become successful as the author of a coronavirus non-fiction book.   With "Pandemia," an analysis of coronavirus policies and the description of the fates of several people who fell ill, the 61-year-old Green politician climbed to number one on the bestseller list of non-fiction books in Austria in April.   "It is surprising," Anschober told dpa. The success shows the immense interest in coming to terms with the first coronavirus years, he said: "The pandemic ...

Muscat, 8 May (ONA) ---- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) closes its season this month with four significant productions demonstrating the notable strengths of the opera house to enhance global collaboration and cultural enrichment across nations and generations. May opens with a concert of musical excellence featuring the young virtuoso pianist, Alexander Malofeev, playing alongside the celebrated Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky. The concert presents a programme of the classical composers: Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Borodin, to be ...

Kentucky, 28 Apr (ONA) --- A new permanent exhibit at the Kentucky Derby Museum tells the story of how the horse race evolved over the years to become an iconic event. The 500-square-foot (46-square-meter) exhibit called This is the Kentucky Derby on the first floor of the museum in Louisville, local officials said. The exhibit presented by Kroger explores the history, culture, spectacle, economic impact and tradition of the race, the museum said in a statement. It answers questions including who started the Kentucky Derby, how it became a media sensation and how traditions like ...

Beijing, 28 Apr (ONA) --- Veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang has died at age 86 while in a COVID-19 quarantine hotel in the southern Chinese city, local media reported. Tsang was best known internationally for his action roles in the 2002 James Bond film “Die Another Day,” John Woo’s “The Killer” in 1989, “Rush Hour 2” in 2001 starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, and 1998′s “The Replacement Killers” alongside Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino. In all, Tsang had some 237 acting credits, mainly in Hong Kong film and television productions, and especially in ...

Nouakchott, 25 Apr (ONA) --- The Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, hosts an art exhibition that seeks to document the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.This event is organized by Muritania’s National League in support of the Palestinian people on the occasion of marking the Palestinian Prisoners Day.Cheikhani Weld Beeb, Secretary-General of the league said that the exhibition aims to be a reminder of the suffering of Palestinian prisoners. It also aims to highlight the investigation methods and the inhumane treatment suffered by ...

Paris, 25 Apr (ONA) --- The French Traumatic Memory and Victimology Association or “Mémoire Traumatique et Victimologie” has published an online book called “When They Hurt You” or “Quand On Te Fait Du Mal”, with pictures by French youth literature author Claude Ponti. This book, which is available to readers for free, seeks to enable children who are victims of violence to protect themselves. The association recalled the difficulties children encounter in reporting forms of violence or threats to which they are exposed, whether physical or ...

London, 21 Apr (ONA) --- Our early ancestors probably created intricate artwork by firelight, an examination of 50 engraved stones unearthed in France has revealed.The stones were incised with artistic designs around 15,000 years ago and have patterns of heat damage which suggests they were carved close to the flickering light of a fire.The study undertaken by researchers at the Universities of York and Durham, looked at the collection of engraved stones, known as plaquettes, which are now held in the British Museum. They are likely to have been made using stone tools by ...

Muscat, 19 Apr (ONA) --- The National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) has issued the English version of the book titled “The System of Government Transition: Modern and Renewable Renaissance of Oman (An Analytical Study)”. The issue comes as part of the 26th volume of the Research and Survey in National and International Archives series. The book is 614 pages long and includes 16 chapters divided into two main themes. The first theme is on the organization of mechanisms for the transfer of power throughout history. The second theme highlights the organization of the ...