Salalah – The ‘Dhofar in the Memory of Omani History’ symposium, organised by the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Dhofar, began today in Salalah under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Marwan bin Turki al Said, Governor of Dhofar. The symposium will continue for three days.

 The symposium will include the presentation of 33 research papers and studies through seven scientific sessions distributed over five main axes in the field of “historical, political, economic, social, cultural and scientific” in addition to the axis of documents, manuscripts and oral narration, with the participation of a number of academics and researchers from within and outside the Sultanate of Oman.

H E Dr Hamad bin Mohammed al Dhuyani, Chairman of the National Records and Archives Authority, delivered a speech in which he emphasized the importance of highlighting the cultural, historical, and intellectual aspects of the Sultanate of Oman and its contributions to science, knowledge, and cultural communication throughout its history. He also pointed to the historical and commercial status of Dhofar Governorate and its military role.

The sessions on the first day included a number of research papers, including a study on the historical names of Dhofar and ancient human settlement, another on the presence of Dhofar in Chinese documents, a research paper on the visits of the English ship (Palizza) to the Dhofar region between 1833 and 1846 AD, a research paper entitled “The Frankincense Route from Dhofar to Korea”, and a study on Dhofar during the reign of Imam Sultan bin Saif al Ya’arubi.

The second session also reviewed research papers on the Kuria Muria Islands in Omani history and their geopolitical and military dimensions, military fortifications in Dhofar during the Al Busaidi dynasty, and contemporary French studies on the governorate.

The symposium will continue over the next two days with the presentation of a number of working papers covering various topics in history, economics, society, culture, science, documents, manuscripts, and oral tradition, enhancing Dhofar’s position in Omani history and enriching academic research.