Oman Day at the State Hermitage of Russia

The State Hermitage in Russia hosts the Sultanate’s celebration of the Renaissance Day entitled (Oman Day) and the inauguration of the first international exhibition between the National Museum and the National Records and Archives Authority.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Museum of Oman and the State Hermitage of Russia, coinciding the celebrations of the Renaissance Day, the city of Saint Petersburg hosted a number of cultural events in relation to the Sultanate under the name of ‘Oman Day’ at the State Hermitage on Monday 23rd July 2018.

The Omani delegation was headed by His Excellency Dr. Hamad bin Muhammad al-Dhoyani, Chairman of the National Records and Archives Authority and member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, and included His Excellency Yousef bin Issa al-Zadjali, the Sultanate’s Ambassador to Russia, Jamal bin Hassan al-Moosawi, Director General of the National Museum, and Rahma bint Qasim al-Farsi, Director General of Museums at Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

Participants from the Sultanate in the event included the National Museum, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Ministry of Tourism, National Records and Archives Authority, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, and the Sultanate’s Embassy in Russia.

The event included many activities such as a theatrical performance at the Hermitage Theater, a welcoming speech by Professor Dr. Mikhail Piotrovskiy, General Director of the State Hermitage, a speech presented by Dr. Hamad bin Muhammad al-Dhoyani, on behalf of the Omani delegation, on the Omani-Russian relations in the diplomatic, cultural, tourism and economical aspects.

An academic seminar was also organised in which Jamal bin Hassan al-Moosawi, Director General of the National Museum gave a presentation entitled ‘The National Museum in the Sultanate; a 21st century Museum’ in Russian, Dr. Alexander Sedov, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Academy of Sciences in Moscow presented a paper entitled ‘Sumhuram: a historical port at the edges of Dhofar Governorate’, Professor Alessandra Avanzini, Chair Professor of Semitic Philology at the University of Pisa, presented a paper entitled ‘The Archeological Site of Sallut; the Heart of Oman’, and Dr. Efim Anatolievich Rezvan, Deputy Director of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences, presented a paper entitled ‘The Archeological Excavations in Oman’.

The event included the launch of a UHD film on the history of the Sultanate under the title ‘Oman: an eastern jewel, a land of hope’ with Russian dubbing, a live quartet instrumental performance from the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, followed by the inauguration of the first international exhibition between the National Museum and the National Records and Archives Authority at the Apollo Venue in the State Hermitage lasting until the end of September 2018.