The Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science has been responsible for adding significant value to the Sultanate’s cultural, literary and artistic movements. It functions under the mandate of Royal Decree No. 52/2012, which established it as a cultural and scientific body with functions related to the protection of culture, science and the arts. It fosters cooperation with cultural institutions in other countries, introducing Omani culture in a receptive environment. Royal Decree No. 69/2021 reassigned the affiliation of the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science to the Diwan of the Royal Court.
The Sultan Qaboos College for Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers provides a valuable service in facilitating communication and thereby strengthening bonds between the many language cultures that shape the Sultanate’s human landscape. In 2022, the College welcomed 88 male and female students from countries around the world and designed special courses to structure their language studies.
The Sultan Qaboos Awards for Culture, Arts and Literature bring recognition to intellectual achievement and creative endeavour, reflecting a respect for these gifts deeply rooted in Omani culture, along with a belief in the value of continuity between past and present in a way that enriches the contemporary intellectual and literary environment.
The Sultan Qaboos Awards for Culture, Arts and Literature are overseen by the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science and are among the most coveted marks of recognition available to Omani and Arab intellectuals, artists and writers. The Awards are granted in acknowledgement of contributions to the renewal of thought and the advancement of human conscience through culture, art and literature. They are presented in alternating years: in the first year participation is restricted to Omanis, while in the second it is broadened to the entire Arab world, including Oman.
On 9 November 2022, the winners of the 9th Awards cycle, dedicated to Omani participants, were announced in the three award categories. In the Culture category, Harith bin Muhammad Al Battashi won for a study examining Omani social heritage. The Al Dann performance group won in the Arts category for their dramatic repertoire. Moreover, writer Mona bint Habras Al Salimiyya took the Literature Award for her collection of essays.
The 30th Sultan Qaboos Competition for Memorisation of the Holy Qur’an returned after a two-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting 2,881 participants to the highly contested event.
Reading is a profound source of intellectual and scientific nourishment, particularly for young people, and the ‘Let’s Read’ Programme competition is a popular annual event that incentivises reading as a rewarding pastime and motivation for self-expression in writing. The programme has been responsible for popularising interaction with public libraries and ingraining the reading habit. It has other positive side benefits too, such as consolidating values of good citizenship and patriotism. The competition extends to all governorates, and 2,652 contestants took part in the 2022 event.