The Sultanate of Oman has a well‑earned reputation for investing in its heritage and taking exceptional care of its historical treasures. It recognises the role museums play in reflecting the dialogue of culture, language, history, and civilisation. Museums make use of state‑of‑the‑art tools to illustrate, to maximum effect, the interaction of past cultures and how they have influenced society, thereby transmitting knowledge, linking people, and preserving human history.
The Oman Across Ages Museum seeks to highlight the unique model of the Sultanate of Oman, introduce its prominent features, its ancient history, and its Renaissance, which continues to progress at both the local and international levels under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
The museum contributes to spreading awareness and strengthening the relationship of Omani youth with their cultural heritage, while at the same time encouraging them to interact in ways that inspire their participation in building their homeland and shaping its institutions.
The museum demonstrates Oman’s transition between past, present, and future in an interactive and modern style through audio‑visual means, spanning from the early stages of past glories to its bright present.
In 2015, The Late Sultan Qaboos bin Said laid the foundation stone for the Oman Across Ages Museum project in the Wilayat of Manah, in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah. The project covers an estimated area of 300,000 sqm, with a construction area of 66,591 sqm. Its design is inspired by the Al Hajar Mountains, presenting an architectural wonder that reflects the Omani environment with its unique geographical characteristics.
The project organisers envisaged that the edifice would embody a creative character, serving as an icon representing the Omani Renaissance in its structures and manifestations. It portrays Omani architecture in a distinctive modern style, incorporating its technical details, construction features, and building materials.
The building of the Oman Across Ages Museum is an environmentally friendly structure. It assumes a low profile on the eastern side, allowing it to receive sunlight in the morning while protecting the internal spaces from direct sun rays. On the western side, a series of windows are set into slanted walls to block direct sunlight and reduce the energy required for lighting.
Its design replicates the standards of castles and ancient buildings. Typically, its walls cool the passing hot air. To comply with the specifications of an environmentally friendly structure, high‑quality Omani stones from the Governorates of A’Dhahirah and North Al Batinah were used to coat the walls of the museum, both inside and outside, covering a surface area of 130,000 sqm. Stone waste was repurposed for use in the garden.
The museum is distinguished by its glass façades, which extend to heights ranging from 9 to 16 metres and rise in some places to 25 metres, giving the building clarity and prominence on the horizon.
The specifications include the use of steel‑coloured glass. Four layers of glass are employed, each 6 centimetres thick and extending up to 5 metres. This gives the museum an aesthetic appearance, allows visitors to enjoy a comprehensive view of the project, and harmonises the museum with its surrounding environment.
An insulating layer has been installed between the structure of the museum and the ground to protect it from the impact of earthquakes. In the event of an earthquake, the insulation system reduces the effects on the building by absorbing the shocks—an exceptional feature in such projects.
The museum consists of two halls: the History Hall and the Renaissance Hall. Upon entering the Oman Across Ages Museum, visitors embark on a journey through the geography and history of Oman, contemplating the country’s past, present, and future in an interactive manner through modern technology, with artefacts dating back to prehistoric eras.
The History Hall comprises the Land of Oman pavilion, the Early Settlers pavilion, the Civilisation of Magan pavilion, the Kingdom of Magan pavilion, the Maritime Heritage pavilion, the Aflaj pavilion, the Embracing Islam pavilion, the Al Ya’ariba Dynasty pavilion, and the Al Busaidi Dynasty pavilion. Visitors thus traverse time and space, from the country’s geological formations through the experiences of the early settlers to the present‑day Renaissance.
The History Hall also relates various events to their historical epochs, with two principal features taking prominence: Maritime Heritage and Aflaj (an ancient irrigation system). Two key sets can also be observed: the geological formation of the Land of Oman and the Stone Age, represented in the Early Settlers pavilion. The Bronze Age is displayed through the Civilisation of Magan pavilion, while the Iron Age is represented in the Kingdom of Magan pavilion. This is in addition to other pavilions such as Embracing Islam, Al Ya’ariba Dynasty, and Al Busaidi Dynasty.
The exhibits are presented through digital media to create multi‑dimensional environments that enable visitors to experience the virtual reality of each era. A selection of artefacts and charts enhances the sense of realism.
The pavilions of the different ages exhibit various aspects of daily life. These are illustrated in the settlements of Ras Al Hamra and Ras Al Jiniz and their connections to seasonal migrations, maritime communication, the copper trade, and the construction of the Aflaj system.
The pavilions comprise a high‑definition environment showcasing the contributions of the people of Oman to Islam, in addition to various aspects of intellectual, political, social, and economic life.
Through high‑definition audio‑visual presentations and virtual maps, the History Hall also explores the eras of the Al Ya’ariba Dynasty and the Al Busaidi Dynasty. The latter chronicles the period of state formation, the Omani Empire, the division of government between Muscat and Zanzibar, and the era leading to the Renaissance. Emphasis is placed on daily life and achievements in various fields during the rule of the imams and sultans of the Al Busaidi Dynasty.
The Renaissance Hall consists of pavilions titled Dawn of the Renaissance, Building a Nation, Our Society, Healthy Environment, Peace and Stability, Towards a Sustainable Economy, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Ash Shura, Oman and the World, Inspiration, Creative Expression, and Media and Communications.
The hall’s entrance is an open space in the centre of gigantic columns forming an interactive area for a high‑resolution audio‑visual display system covering the first five years of the Blessed Renaissance. This provides a panoramic view of the hall and completes the visitor’s experience, showcasing aspects of the social, economic, industrial, and political transformation of Oman, while preserving its authentic identity and ancient cultural traditions.
The hall comprises interactive digital museum tools that present the speeches of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and those of The Late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. It also covers fundamental aspects of the Blessed Renaissance, such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, foreign relations, tourism, the economy, and other key areas.
The Oman Across Ages Museum houses 310 film materials, 1,200 interactive dual‑ and tri‑dimensional screens, map projection technology, 1,300 artefacts, 80 replicas, 500 text panels and drawings, 150 display cases, 61 kilometres of fibre‑optic cables, and 21 kilometres of audio‑video cables.
The exhibition includes the jaw of the Omantherium, a type of giant primitive elephant that lived in Oman about 35 million years ago and was discovered in Dhofar Governorate. It also includes trilobites found in the Wilayat of Mahut in Al Wusta Governorate, dating back between 250 and 500 million years, in addition to rock inscriptions discovered in the Wilayat of Madha in Musandam Governorate.
These inscriptions were formed using other stones and vary between human and animal forms. The exhibition also includes a votive incense burner decorated with animal drawings, dating to 100–200 AD, which was used to burn frankincense during vows. It takes the shape of a lion and an ibex, as well as the inkwell of Imam Muhanna bin Sultan dating back to 1131 AH / 1719 AD, crafted by Amer Al Bahlawi from the Wilayat of Bahla.
The museum also features the Magan Ship, a re‑imagining of the vessels of the Magan Civilisation, made of reed bundles, palm‑fibre ropes, woven mats, woollen sails, and painted with black tar. It also houses a message from The Late Sultan Qaboos bin Said to his teacher, written in Rajab 1374 AH (February 1955). In addition, the museum provides educational games for children using modern interactive technologies that create a unique museum experience.
The museum seeks to convey the theme of each pavilion to visitors using the most advanced methods, including map projection technology and a variety of screen displays covering an area of approximately 800 sqm.
Through the use of headphones, synchronisation with films, and instant artistic productions, visitors save time and effort. In addition, virtual reality technology is employed, consisting of multiple screens with suspended cameras.
In the "Early Settlers" pavilion of the History Hall, visitors move a screen over parts of the museum to view representations of the first settlers in Ras Al Hamra and experience their way of life. A 360‑degree curved screen enables visitors to rotate their position and watch a film about the Ya’ariba Dynasty era.
The museum also contains the Husn Al Shumookh Library, facilities for children, and the Knowledge Centre, which serves as an informative hub for students, researchers, and readers. It represents a key pillar of the Oman Across Ages Museum, comprising a rich source of information that contributes to knowledge building across groups ranging from children to researchers.
The centre provides equal opportunities for all to benefit from its facilities, equipment, and services. It promotes and develops cultural and historical knowledge and provides essential resources for students and researchers, offering them lifelong learning opportunities.
The centre also offers interactive educational programmes and training workshops, and hosts lectures and seminars.
The Knowledge Centre is divided into three floors targeting all segments of society. It occupies a total area of 6,000 sqm. The ground floor houses the Ideas Lab and the Innovation Lab, equipped with tools and books suitable for children aged 3 to 14.
The first and second floors house the Husn Al Shumookh Library, which was transferred to the Oman Across Ages Museum. The library contains more than 46,000 titles across various fields of science and knowledge. It is equipped with devices that allow researchers to access their desired titles and references in both hard copy and electronic form.
The library provides services through personal attendance or via the digital reference service on the centre’s website, including instant chat and the Ask the Librarian form. Services are also available via email, smartphone applications, and social media accounts, including the current awareness service, interlibrary loan, copying, printing, and scanning.
The library includes facilities for various museum visitors, such as secretariat rooms, a lecture hall, a multipurpose hall, and amenities for people with disabilities.
The National Museum is the Sultanate of Oman’s most prominent cultural edifice. It is dedicated to highlighting the nation’s many‑faceted heritage, from the earliest stages of human settlement in the Arabian Peninsula many millennia ago up to the present day.
The National Museum was established under Royal Decree (62/2013), promulgated on 20 November 2013. It was officially opened on 15 December 2015. The museum houses more than seven thousand archaeological artefacts—most of them of rare or unique value—as well as tens of thousands of other display items systematically arranged to illustrate the narrative of human history in the Sultanate of Oman from its earliest days to the present time.
On 12 May 2022, the National Museum inaugurated the Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimur Room in its Renaissance Hall. The collection of display items was selected to convey aspects of the personality of The Late Sultan Qaboos, of his tenure as Sultan of the Sultanate of Oman, and of his standing as an international role model for peaceful coexistence. It includes a selection of his personal belongings, as well as gifts presented to The Late Sultan by leaders from overseas. It tells the story of his life—from birth and upbringing to university studies to the responsibilities of leadership—illustrating the journey with glimpses into his personal hobbies and interests and into the germination of the ideas that gave rise to the Sultanate of Oman’s modern Renaissance. These ideas culminated in the establishment of the state of institutions and the rule of law, while remaining unique in their balanced patronage of both heritage and modernity. Sultan Qaboos’s personal stamp is evident in the nature of the modern state that characterises the Sultanate of Oman today, where internal stability and public welfare are matched by the peaceful nature of its external relationships. The country inherited by the current generation bears the personal stamp of The Late Sultan, and this message is clearly conveyed in the display.
The Ministry of Heritage and Culture oversees several other publicly supported museums, including the Natural History Museum, opened in 1985, which showcases the many diverse aspects of the Omani environment through illustrated descriptions of terrain, geology, vegetation, insects, and marine life.
The Children’s Museum, which opened in 1990, is a science and technology learning resource that introduces modern inventions and delivers scientific knowledge in a simplified and child‑friendly manner that clearly conveys the vital role of science in life.
The Omani‑French Museum was inaugurated in Muscat in 1992, with a mission to highlight the historical relations between eighteenth‑century France and the Sultanate of Oman. It is located in the building that once housed the French consulate and consists of eight halls. The museum houses a collection of documents that chronicle Omani‑French relations, alongside traditional costumes from the two countries, a selection of jewellery and antiques, and models of Omani and French ships.
At Sohar Fort, a museum was opened in 1993 whose contents address the history of the city of Sohar and its cultural and economic relations. In 2008, the Sayyid Faisal bin Ali Museum was inaugurated.
The Ministry of Defence oversees the Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum, which was opened in 1988 at Bait Al Falaj Fort in Ruwi. The museum contains exhibits that illustrate highlights of the Sultanate of Oman’s military history.
The Muscat Gate Museum, which takes the visitor on a tour of Muscat, highlights the city’s growth from a commercial harbour to a prosperous capital. It contains displays illustrating the city’s development from ancient times.
The Land of Frankincense Museum, inaugurated on 23 July 2007 within the perimeter of the Al Baleed archaeological site in Dhofar, includes a historical hall with six sections documenting the Sultanate of Oman’s history across the ages, and a maritime hall devoted to its illustrious seafaring and boatbuilding history.
The Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre portrays the history of the formation of oil over different periods and the stages of its extraction, and narrates the story of oil discovery—particularly in the Sultanate of Oman.
The Central Bank of Oman’s Currency Museum, situated within the Bank’s premises, reviews the chronology of currency in the Sultanate of Oman and showcases both old and modern currencies, including banknotes and coins in use during the early stages of the Islamic era.
There are privately owned museums, such as Bait Al Zubair Museum in Muscat, which opened in 1998 and houses valuable displays of collectibles and costumes from the various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. Ghaliya’s Museum of Modern Art, opened in 2011 on the Muttrah corniche, has rooms representing the typical modern house in the period from the beginning of the 1950s to the mid‑1970s.
On 8 January 2014, the Education Museum at the Saidia School in Muscat was opened. The museum documents the evolution of public education in the Sultanate of Oman. The Saidia School itself occupies a prime and prestigious position in this story and was the inspiration for the foundation of the museum.
On 1 November 2021, the Fatah Al Khair Centre opened its doors to the public in Sur. The Centre serves as an information portal for visitors, who can peruse five display halls to learn about the heritage of this illustrious city. More than 400 items related to the city’s heritage are on display, including shipbuilding tools, navigational aids, photographs, books, letters and documents, household items, clothing, jewellery, and craft tools and materials.