Muscat: The Literary Forum reviewed the Omani experience in documenting and preserving intangible cultural heritage during the International Conference on Regions and Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Tunisia. The event featured a selection of researchers, experts, and cultural institutions from various countries around the world.
According to Oman News Agency, during the conference, Fahd Mahmoud Al Rahbi, Head of the Oral History Department at the Literary Forum of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, presented a working paper addressing the Omani experience in protecting oral memory and safeguarding national identity. He reviewed the methodology followed by the Sultanate of Oman in documenting oral history and transforming it into a sustainable cognitive and cultural asset. Al Rahbi noted that Omani efforts stem from a firm commitment to international conventions, primarily the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. This commitment contributed to the registration of 18 Omani files on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as of 2026. The paper also highlighted the 'UNESCO-Sultan Haitham Prize for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage' as one of the initiatives supporting international projects concerned with protecting and ensuring the sustainability of human heritage.
The presentation covered the experience of the Literary Forum and the Oral History Department in collecting oral narratives from the elderly, described as "human libraries" that preserve the details of Omani social and cultural life across generations. It showcased several field studies and specialized publications that documented customs, traditions, and popular practices across various governorates and wilayats. The paper also reviewed specialized documentation efforts for traditional Omani systems and crafts, including the Aflaj water distribution system and the Al Tabsil craft, alongside linguistic studies related to the Bathari language, as part of preserving the cultural and linguistic diversity inherent in the Sultanate of Oman.
Regarding future visions, the presentation revealed a package of ambitious plans aimed at enhancing cultural sustainability. These include establishing a specialized center for collecting, classifying, and analyzing Omani folklore; working to include intangible cultural heritage within the academic curricula of Omani universities; launching a specialized quarterly electronic magazine; and translating Omani heritage publications into several international languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Chinese. Furthermore, plans include expanding oral history seminars across the various wilayats of the Sultanate of Oman and qualifying a new generation of field researchers.
Al Rahbi emphasized during the conference the Sultanate of Oman's commitment to transforming intangible heritage from inherited oral narratives into documented knowledge assets that contribute to strengthening the national identity and consolidating Omani soft power at both regional and international levels.