“The Omani Empire: Asia and Africa” Exhibition Opens in Russia

Saint Petersburg, 9 Dec (ONA) —— The National Museum today inaugurated the second exhibition within the Gallery of Oman initiative at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, entitled “The Omani Empire: Asia and Africa,”.

The exhibition will run for all visitors until 26 January, 2025.

The opening of the exhibition comes after the success of the first edition of this initiative on 2 June, 2021 and within the framework of the ongoing bilateral cooperation between the National Museum and the State Hermitage Museum.

The opening ceremony was attended by HH Sayyida Dr. Mona Fahd Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University for International Cooperation, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, Jamal Hassan Al Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, Hamood Salim Al Towaiya, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Russian Federation, Professor Dr. Mikhail Petrovsky, Director General of the State Hermitage Museum and member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, a number of officials and those interested in the cultural field.

The exhibition includes 28 artefacts that reflect the history of the Omani Empire, both its Asian and African sides, and focuses on different and gradual periods of time for the rulers of Oman, including the al- Yarubi Imams and the al-Busaid Sultans in the period between the 17th and 19th centuries, and their role as a link between the neighbouring countries such as the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia with the East African coast.

The exhibition narrates the story of the history of the Omanis in East Africa and their role in expelling the Portuguese from East Africa and establishing the sprawling Omani Empire, and the resulting manifestations of the Omani civilisational influences in East Africa in the social, religious, political, economic, cultural, and urban fields, which still witness the Omani presence until today.

One of the most prominent objects on display is a curved-edged sword (shamshir), attributed to Imam Saif bin Sultan al-Yarbi I, dating back to the period (1086 AH / 1675 CE).

The exhibition also includes the Noble Qur’an (Endowment copy of Fatima, servant of Sultan Said bin Sultan al-Busaidi) dating back to (4th June 1847 CE), and the “Dictionary of Islamic Law” consisting of 90 volumes dating back to the period 1297 AH/1880 CE, which is the largest encyclopedia of Ibadi jurisprudence and was the first publication of the Royal Press in Zanzibar.

The exhibition also includes a curved single edged sword “Kittarah” dating back to al-Busaid dynasty between the two centuries (11-13 AH/17-19 CE).

It is believed that this sword with a short Caucasian blade, imported from the Russian Empire, was used for fencing aboard one of the fleets of the Omani Empire during that period. Also on display is al-Saidi dagger belonging to Sultan Hamoud bin Muhammad al-Busaidi dating back to the 14th century AH/late 19th century.

The exhibition also includes a chair dating back to the 12th c AH/18th c CE, on loan from the family of Sheikh Mubarak bin Ali al-Hinawy. The exhibition also contains several jewellery and costumes attributed to Sayyida Salma bint Said al-Busaidi, who lived in the period between (1260-1342 AH/1844–1924 CE), as Sayyida Salma wrote her prominent autobiography in German, titled “Memoirs of an Arab Princess from Zanzibar”; As the first biography of an Arab woman in history. Sayyida Salma’s memoirs, along with the exhibited items, provide an amazing glimpse into life in the Royal Court in the century (13 AH/19 CE), and bear witness to the quality and diversity of the costumes and jewellery that the women of the court wore.

HH Sayyida Dr. Mona Fahd Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University for International Cooperation and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, said in her speech at the opening ceremony: “Through this participation, we seek to highlight the Omani history through its diverse collections, which acquire this splendour. In the midst of this lofty edifice, and in order for this relationship to remain eternal between our two friendly countries, these mutual efforts emerged between the two sides in various cultural and museum activities, and even reached coordination to protect global humanitarian antiquities, the latest of which was the mediation efforts adopted by the National Museum in the Sultanate of Oman with the State Hermitage Museum to recover antiquities of Syrian Arab Republic from the British Museum in September of this year. It also witnessed bilateral cooperation in the process of preserving and conserving damaged objects during the years of the crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic in Muscat, at the hands of experts from the State Hermitage Museum. Thanks to this cooperation, the objects were returned in their original appearance to their homeland in the Syrian Arab Republic, and they are present in the conscience of human heritage and a rich asset in the memory of this nation.

She added: “The importance of this initiative is to highlight the cultural dimensions of the Sultanate of Oman and the manifestations of its unique cultural heritage across times and eras.”

For his part, Jamal Hassan Al Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, said: “The “Omani Empire: Asia and Africa” exhibition sheds light on a period that is not much known about our history outside the Sultanate of Oman, as Oman played a pivotal role in linking its ties in the Arabian Peninsula and West Asia. With the East African coast and the African hinterland, the exhibition includes selected collections representing the al-Yarubi and al-Busaid period, which formed two maritime empires from the 17th century and reached their peak in the 19th century. The collections represent an important aspect of Oman’s historical mission of establishing a prosperous, cosmopolitan, multicultural and tolerant nation under Its Imams and Sultans, and we are confident that our respected Russian audience, and the guests of St. Petersburg, will find inspiration in this chapter of Oman’s history.”

On his turn, Hamood Salim Al Towaiya, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Russian Federation, said that “Museum and cultural cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and the Russian Federation contributes to strengthening cultural diplomacy between the two friendly countries.”

He added that “the cooperation relations between the National Museum and the State Hermitage Museum, including organising periodic exhibitions in Muscat and St. Petersburg to introduce visitors to Omani history and culture, strengthens the bonds of friendship and reflects positively on the development of relations between the two countries in all other fields.”

—— Ends/AH