Page 46 - 2022UNESCO ICDH Newsletter_vol.4

A Glimpse Into Oman's Documentary Heritage Humaid Siaf Al Nofli | Director of the Department of Culture, The Oman National Commisson for Education, Culture, and Science
6. The first Omani manuscript on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register:
First: Information about the manuscript:
The first Omani manuscript to be included on the Memory of the World Register is
“Ma'dan al-Asrar fi Ulūm al-Bihar” (The Secrets of Marine Sciences).
The manuscript enjoys significant scientific value, as shown below:
• It covers the rules of maritime science, the command of ships using marine
equipment and accurate calculations, the description of the compass and its parts,
the identification of ships’ route and longitude and latitude lines, star sights, and
the drawing of some of the ports the author visited.
• Many ports were mentioned, some of which have been abandoned and their
conditions changed due to climatic factors and political, social, and economic
conditions.
Second: Information about the author of the manuscript:
The author of the manuscript is the navigator Nasser bin Ali Al Khadouri (1870 - 1968),
born in the city of Sur on the east coast of Oman.
1. The author was a famous captain known in Oman and other places like India,
Sind, Malbar, Eastern Africa, the Comoros, Seychelles, Arabian Gulf States, Persia,
and Iraq.
2. He died at the age of 98 years, leaving writings based on practice and experience
as well as theoretical scientific study.
3. He combined several sciences including mathematics, astronomy, maritime
navigation, meteorology, geography, and biology.
4. He focused on the applied aspect using monitoring and measuring tools such as
compass, square, astrolabe, sextant and ship speedometer.
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Finally, Oman's documentary heritage needs improvement measures such
as:
1. To raise awareness, at all levels of society, on the importance of
documentary heritage.
2. To set clear visions about the role documentary heritage can play in
sustainable development.
3. To consider the priorities of sustainable development in Oman and find
out the role documentary heritage can play.
4. To form alliances between those interested in documentary heritage
issues to solve problems and think outside the box of their individual
institution.
5. To actively participate with decision makers to place libraries and
archives in local development plans.
6. To hold workshops and other events in cooperation with international
organizations to build the capacity of those working with documentary
heritage.
7. To demonstrate the impact documentary heritage can have on achieving
SDGs by showcasing best practices in this field.
In conclusion, the Sultanate of Oman strives to confidently preserve and
sustain its documentary heritage for future generations.
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