Tuesday 26 / August / 2025
Zanzibar: The opening sessions of two academic seminars spotlighting two Omani personalities included in UNESCO's program commemorating the 50th or 100th anniversaries of significant historical events and globally influential figures commenced today in Zanzibar.
The seminars focus on Omani poet and journalist Nasser bin Salim bin Adayim Al Bahlani Al Rawahi "Abu Muslim" and historian and scholar Humaid bin Mohammed bin Ruzayq Al Nakhli, featuring participation from academics, researchers, and interested individuals from both Oman and Zanzibar.
Organized by the Ministry of Education, represented by Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, in cooperation with the Consulate of the Sultanate of Oman in Zanzibar, the two-day seminars aim to globally introduce these figures, highlight their key scientific and cultural achievements, and showcase Oman’s efforts in promoting its national icons on the world stage.
The first day featured a seminar with multiple research papers on the poet and journalist Abu Muslim Al Bahlani Al Rawahi, covering topics such as his biography and poetry, the media dimension of his work, symbolism of places in his poems, an analysis of his intellectual contributions, and the enhancement of African-Arab cultural ties.
The second day will include a seminar on the figure of Ibn Ruzayq, with discussions focusing on aspects of his biography and his methodology in historical writing, his global impact, his legacy in Arab and foreign archives, and an exploration of his intellectual thought.
Dr. Mahmoud bin Abdullah Al Abri, Secretary of Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, presented the keynote address, outlining the international and regional organizations the Commission collaborates with, its tasks, mandates, and programs. He emphasized its role in preserving heritage and cultural identity and introduced UNESCO’s program for commemorating important historical anniversaries and influential global personalities, as well as the Omani figures successfully included in this program.
The Sultanate of Oman has successfully registered seven Omani personalities and one historical event in UNESCO’s program for significant historical anniversaries and globally influential figures. These include the linguist Al Khalil bin Ahmad Al Farahidi (2005), the physician and pharmacist Rashid bin Omaira Al Hashmi Al Rustaqi (2013), the encyclopedist and social reformer Sheikh Nooruddin Abdullah bin Humaid Al Salmi and the physician and physicist Abū Moḥammad Abdullah bin Moḥammad Al Ozdi, known as Ibn Al Dhahabi (both in 2015), the poet Nasser bin Salim Al Bahlani Al Rawahi, known as Abu Muslim (2019), and the Omani navigator Ahmed bin Majid Al Sa’adi (2021).
During the meetings of the Administrative and Financial Commission of the 42nd UNESCO General Conference in November 2023, Oman successfully registered two additional cultural elements: the 350th anniversary of the construction of Jabrin Fort and the 150th anniversary of the death of the historian and poet Humaid bin Mohammed bin Ruzayq.
