Two Academic Seminars in Zanzibar Highlight Global
Contributions of Abu Muslim, Ibn Ruzayq
Zanzibar, 26 Aug (ONA) — 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.
— Ends/AH
