The National Museum Holds a Press Conference to Launch the “Russian Seasons” in the Sultanate of Oman and Inaugurate the State Hermitage Museum Corner: “Gifts of the Bukhara Emirs and Central Asian Khans to the Russian Imperial Court”

The National Museum held a press conference on Saturday, 1st February 2025, to inaugurate the Museum programme of the "Russian Seasons" in the Sultanate of Oman in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the ANO "Russian Seasons".

The second exhibition was also inaugurated within the State Hermitage Museum’s Corner initiative titled "Gifts of Bukharan and Central Asian Emirs to the Russian Imperial Court". The event was attended by Olga Lyubimova, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, along with Her Highness Sayyidah Dr. Mona bint Fahad bin Mahmoud al-Said, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for International Cooperation at Sultan Qaboos University and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum.

During the conference, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation highlighted key activities and events of the "Russian Seasons" that will take place throughout the year in the Sultanate of Oman. His Excellency the Secretary-General of the National Museum presented a cultural and museum cooperation timeline between the National Museum and the Russian Federation.

The National Museum signed an agreement with the "Russian Seasons" Foundation for the inauguration of the "Russian Seasons" in Oman.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the National Museum by His Excellency Jamal bin Hassan al -Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, and on behalf of the Russian Seasons Foundation by Ms. Svetlana Anatolievna Kondrateva, Director of the Russian Seasons Foundation.

Hosting the exhibition "Gifts from Bukharan and Central Asian Emirs to the Russian Imperial Court" is part of the State Hermitage Museum`s initiative that was launched in 2021. This second exhibition highlights a unique collection of luxurious artefacts crafted in Bukhara, Khiva, Khwarazm, and Kokand, which are brought as part of a long-term lending arrangement to the National Museum in the Sultanate of Oman from the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The State Hermitage Museum, originally founded as an Imperial museum, houses a significant collection of artefacts presented to the Russian Tsars as diplomatic gifts from Central Asian Emirates: Bukhara, Khiva, and Kokand.

The event featured a live musical performance by the Russian Berlin Quartet, followed by a screening of the documentary "al-Khanjar," produced by Russia Today Arabic (RT) in cooperation with the National Museum and the Ministry of Information.