collections

MEDALS

AWARDED TO KHADĪJA BINT HASSAN AL-LAWATI BY HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS Origin: The Hague, Netherlands Metal and fabric 27 Ramadan 1428 AH/October 2009 CE

ORDER OF THE BRILLIANT STAR OF ZANZIBAR (WISAM AL-KAWKAB AD-DURRI AZ-ZANZIBARI)

GRAND CROSS (SASH BADGE) WITH AWARD CERTIFICATE Presented by Sultan Sayyid Khalifah bin Harib al-Busaidi to Dr Hans Meyer Origin: Sultanate of Zanzibar Medal: silver gilt, enamel and gold Certificate: ink on paper, and gold 1 Jumada al-Ula 1307 AH/24 December 1889 CE

DOLLAR TANKARD (THALE...

DOLLAR TANKARD (THALER-HUMPEN)

Maker: Friedländer
Origin: Berlin (German Reich)
Silver with gilding,ebony plinth
1307 AH/1890 CE (Sultanate of Zanzibar)

This Dollar Tankard stands as a testimony to the special relationship enjoyed between the Sultanate of Zanzibar and the German Reich. Although originally intended as a gift for His Highness Sultan Sayyid Khalifa bin Harub al-Busaidi, Sultan of Zanzibar, from Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Reich, the Sultan died before receiving the gift, after which the tankard was recalled to Germany. This tankard is an extraordinary representation of the art of silversmithing of the time. The ebony plinth rests on four ball-like silver feet, bearing the coat of arms of the house of Bismarck. A flat zone beneath the rolled rim bears an Arabic inscription: His Majesty Sultan Sayyid Khalifa of Zanzibar, deferentially dedicated by the Chancellor of the German Reich Prince von Bismarck. A medallion bears the Arabic monogram of the Sultan. The decorative motifs of the spout and the handle are inspired by classical Greek mythology, bearing representation of the gods Dionysus and Pan.

CHAIR

Origin: Empire of Japan Lacquered wood, gold and fabric 13th century AH/19th century CE This chair was among the gifts presented to Sultan Sayyid Turki bin Faisal al-Busaidi by Lieutenant- Colonel Ito, Commander of the Japanese warship Hiei, when the ship stopped in Muscat in Rajab 1297 AH/July 1880 CE. It features ‘maki-e’ decoration, based on the use of lacquer sprinkled with pure gold powder. Such chairs were originally made only for Japanese court nobles, but were later adopted by other royal houses as symbols of wealth and power.

TERRESTRIAL GLOBE

Gift of François Mitterrand to His Majesty Qaboos bin Said Maker: by Fernand Pouillon Papier-mâché, wood and brass 1403–06 AH/1983–85 CE This globe was presented by President François Mitterrand to His Majesty the Sultan on his state visit to France in 1409–10 AH/1989 CE. The globe provides an insightful map of Mitterrand’s private and political life: showing the village of Jarnac, where the President was born and was buried; Château– Chinon in Nièvre where Mitterrand launched his political journey and learnt of his first presidential election victory; Cluny, where he met Danielle Gouze, his future wife; the Rock of Solutré, an important archaeological site that Mitterrand and his friends climbed as part of an annual pilgrimage and Latche, Mitterrand’s rural retreat in Soustons, southwest France, a place where he relaxed and meditated. It also highlights Aveyron Belcastel, where the architect Fernand Pouillon, who made the globe, lived and died.

COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE ...

COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE WITH REGOLITH AND FLAG OF SULTANATE OF OMAN

Origin: United States of America Wood, fabric, lunar soil and printed metal plate 1393 AH/1973 CE This plaque commemorates the Apollo 17 manned spaceflight that landed on the moon on Thu al-Qa’dah 1393 AH/ 11 December 1973 CE. On display is a piece of lunar soil (regolith) and the flag of the Sultanate of Oman. The text reads: This fragment is a portion of a rock from the Taurus Littrow Valley of the Moon. It is given as a symbol of the unity of human endeavor and carries with it hope of the American people for a world at peace. This flag of your nation was carried to the Moon aboard Spacecraft America during the Apollo XVII mission, December 7–19, 1972. Presented to the people of the SULTANATE OF OMAN. From the people of the United States of America. RICHARD NIXON 1973.

EWER

Presented by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, to Sayyid Tamiur bin Faisal al-Busaidi Origin: United States of America Silver alloy 1322–23 AH/1905 CE (Sultanate of Muscat and Oman)

State Gifts