Simshunian Folklore and heritage exhibition

Opened on 23/6/2005
Head of participating delegation was Dr. Shrifa al-Yaheiyaiah, Social Development Minister.

The US ambassador to the Sultanate delivered a speech about the Sultanate during the inauguration ceremony.

Activities included:

First: Musical shows:

• Participation of the three folklore troupes of al-Majd from Dhofar Governorate, al-Firqa al-Mithaliyah (perfect troupe) from Muscat Governorate and Sohar group from the Batinah region. They presented some of the traditional arts of the Sultanate’s various regions.

• Display of various Omani shows and folklore arts and holding of workshops to train visitors on Omani musical instruments.

Second: Traditional crafts:

Live shows of frankincense making, coppers, silverware, textiles, fronds and embroidery.

Thirdly: Implementation of mud building

Implementation of mud building representing Omani architecture. A front side of an old Omani house was built.

Fourth: Omani food:

• Cooking Omani types of meals and shedding light on them.

• Those included Omani Rakhal, Qubuli and some spices.

• A live show of how to make Omani Halwa (Sweet).

Fifth: A workshop of Arab calligraphy

It was held with the participation of two Omani artists. They demonstrated the arts of Arab calligraphy and wrote names of visitors.

Six: Omani costumes:

Display of Omani traditional costumes through the use of dummies, perfumes, frankincense and ornaments.

Seven:Omani ships:

Shedding light on this industry.

Eight: Bedouin tent

A tent including traditional Omani contents was made to shed light on the Bedouin life in Oman.

Statistics about the exhibition:

• It was visited by 1, 3 persons during its 12 day session.

• The participating delegation included more than 100 persons.

• Each craft was presented by one of the specialist presenters.

• A pamphlet answering queries of young visitors was distributed Some gifts were distributed to visitors.

• Booklets about tourism and Ministry publications written in Arabic and English were distributed to visitors.

• The event was excellently covered by the media (Documenting its activities by the Information Ministry, daily coverage by US TV and radio channels and newspapers and the Internet sites.)