UAE President visits National Museum in Muscat

Muscat, The Gulf Observer: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today continued his two-day state visit to the Sultanate of Oman with a tour of the National Museum in Muscat.

His Highness was briefed on the museum’s galleries and its extensive collection of over 7,000 art facts that document and celebrate Oman’s rich cultural heritage.

During the tour, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed visited the Sultan Qaboos bin Said exhibit, which is home to a collection of personal belongings and items relating to His Majesty the late Sultan Qaboos. The collection includes gifts presented to the late Sultan by other world leaders, among them a model of Abu Dhabi’s Qasr Al Hosn and a sword presented to Sultan Qaboos by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

His Highness also visited a section of the museum featuring exhibits from the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which are on display in Muscat thanks to the cooperation framework between the National Museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The tour included a briefing by officials explaining the National Museum’s mission to raise awareness of Oman’s past and preserve items that illustrate its people’s history and culture. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed heard how the museum achieves this by employing the best international practices in museum management, collections management and visitor services.

The National Museum’s collection spans an area of 4,000 square meters and is housed in 14 separate galleries, each covering a different aspect of Oman’s cultural heritage.

Writing in the museum’s guestbook, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed said, “I was very pleased to visit The National Museum in the Sultanate of Oman. I enjoyed learning about its rich collection that embodies the story of the Omani people, their long history and the eagerness of the Sultanate – under the leadership of my brother, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq – to showcase its culture. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the museum officials for their efforts and convey my best wishes for a successful future.”