The National Museum Inaugurates the “Reflections from the Not So Distant Past in Oman” Exhibition

The National Museum inaugurated on Wednesday, 22 October 2025, the exhibition “Reflections from the Not So Distant Past in Oman” by photographer Professor Eugene Harper Johnson, Director of the Unspoken Dialogue Organisation, under the patronage of His Excellency Sayyid Saud bin Hilal al-Busaidi, Governor of Muscat, and in the presence of a number of dignitaries, officials, and those interested in the cultural and artistic fields.

The exhibition features sixty photographs that document Omani life both visually and humanely. It is based on a major two-volume book project commissioned by the Office of the Cultural Affairs Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan, and endorsed by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said. The photographs present concise stories drawn from original oral narratives included in the written series. These narratives reveal how Omani communities have faced challenges with wisdom and patience, and how dignity is reflected in the faces of men and women across the Sultanate. Through its diverse subjects, the collection offers a human mosaic that forms a living archive of the national memory.