His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq the Great, may God protect and preserve him, included, under his generous patronage, this morning the celebration of laying the foundation stone for the Oman Cultural Complex project and the building of the National Documents and Archives Authority at the project site in Airport Heights in Muscat Governorate. After that, His Majesty the Sultan kindly viewed the designs of the Oman Cultural Complex building through display panels that highlighted the contents of the project, which is an embodiment of the lofty vision to create an artistic and cultural destination of high levels, a civilizational, cultural, scientific and intellectual achievement, and an institutional entity that represents an edifice of the blessed renaissance.

His Majesty lays foundation stone for Oman Cultural Complex

21 January 2024

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said has laid the foundation stone for the Oman Cultural Complex and the National Documents and Archives Authority at Airport Heights in the Governorate of Muscat.

On arrival, His Majesty received the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Chairman of the Founding Committee of the Oman Cultural Complex Project, and Dr Hamad bin Muhammad Al Dhawayani, Chairman of the National Records and Archives Authority.

His Majesty viewed the designs of the complex which aims to create a high-level artistic destination to showcase Oman's intellectual achievements in the fields of civilisation, culture and science.

His Majesty watched a presentation and listened to a comprehensive explanation about the complex which will feature the National Library, the National Theatre, the Children’s Library, the House of Arts, the Cinema House, the Literary Forum and the National Records and Archives Authority. It will also provide restaurants, cafes and public gardens.

His Majesty then laid the foundation stone to mark the start of construction work on a building area of 80,200 square metres on a 400,000 square metre plot of land. The project will cost nearly 148 million Omani Rials (OMR).

The complex will accommodate three national institutions in one place: the National Documents and Archives Authority building, which preserves Omani history; the National Library, which can house up to a million volumes; and a one-thousand seat National Theatre.

The Oman Cultural Complex aims to preserve the historical and cultural achievements of the Sultanate through activities, events and programmes. It will also collect Omani cultural vocabulary, highlight the cultural heritage in Omani memory and provide research services to scholars.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq the Great, may God protect and preserve him, included, under his generous patronage, this morning the celebration of laying the foundation stone for the Oman Cultural Complex project and the building of the National Documents and Archives Authority at the project site in Airport Heights in Muscat Governorate. After that, His Majesty the Sultan kindly viewed the designs of the Oman Cultural Complex building through display panels that highlighted the contents of the project, which is an embodiment of the lofty vision to create an artistic and cultural destination of high levels, a civilizational, cultural, scientific and intellectual achievement, and an institutional entity that represents an edifice of the blessed renaissance.

It will also feature a children’s library, cultural cinemas, an exhibition and workshop building and the headquarters of the Literary Forum, including a lecture hall. Fine arts halls will be available for young people to practise cultural activities as part of a vibrant organisation dedicated to collecting, preserving and displaying Oman's living, historical and contemporary arts and culture.

The ceremony was attended by a number of Their Highnesses, Excellencies and other officials.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.

 

Tags: