Amman: The Sultanate of Oman's pavilion, the guest of honour at the 24th Amman International Book Fair, has witnessed a large turnout of visitors since its launch.
It has attracted great interest from writers, intellectuals, and publishers from around the world, proving that Omani culture enjoys a distinguished status.
A number of visitors and intellectuals told the Oman News Agency that the Sultanate of Oman's pavilion is distinguished by its unique design, the concept of which is inspired by a collection of Omani cultural elements, both tangible and intangible, under the title: "The Sultanate of Oman... A long history, renewed knowledge... and knowledge that illuminates the path."
Khalfan Mohammed Al Abri, Director of Exhibition Affairs Department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, said that the participation of the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, is a real opportunity to showcase Omani cultural components, vocabulary, customs and traditions, which have received great interest and attention from various age groups of visitors to the fair, researchers and those interested in various sciences, who are keen to learn about Omani culture and the components of the pavilion.
Dr. Mohammed Jamal, Editor-in-Chief of Jordanian Wisam Magazine, expressed his happiness at hosting Oman as the exhibition's guest of honour.
He viewed the various exhibits at the Sultanate of Oman's pavilion and pointed to "Murshid" magazine, which displays a variety of its publications and issues. The magazine aims to develop children's and adolescents' culture and promote a culture of reading and creativity among young people. He explained that young readers will be present and benefit from the diverse books on display at the pavilion.
Dr. Nidal Ibrahim Al-Ahmad, Secretary-General of the Jordanian Ministry of Culture, explained that the Sultanate of Oman's pavilion displays encyclopedias and manuscripts that tell the history of Oman throughout the ages.
The pavilion is distinguished by its cultural diversity, in addition to the diverse stories and books, which are of great interest to the exhibition's visitors. He stated that what distinguishes the exhibition is the convergence of Omani and Jordanian cultures and the depth of historical relations between the two countries.
For her part, Dr. Rawan bint Burhan Al-Khanji, an educational supervisor at Al-Hasad Educational Schools in Jordan, emphasised that the exhibition of rare Omani manuscripts registered on the UNESCO list reflects the interconnected relations between the two countries. Her attention was drawn to the screen broadcasting promotional and tourism films about the Sultanate of Oman, in addition to learning about the Omani arts featured in the exhibition.
Safaa bint Subhi Al-Hattab, writer and novelist, said: "We are very pleased to have the Sultanate of Oman as the guest of honour at the Amman International Book Fair, which is distinguished by its diverse terrain and geography and its high level of culture. The Sultanate of Oman's pavilion is distinguished by the diversity and richness of its exhibits, and we hope that the cultural program will be influential and effective, and will receive appropriate attention and attendance."
It is worth noting that the participating entities in the Amman International Book Fair include the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Oman Police Academy, the Omani Writers and Authors Association, the Oman Memory Center, and Bait Al Zubair.