Lyon – Destinations |
To embody the historical ties between the Sultanate of Oman and the French Republic, the National Museum, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, inaugurated last Thursday an exhibition and events for Oman Day under the title “Journey to the Land of Frankincense” at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, French Republic, under the patronage of Gregory Doucet, Mayor of the city. Lyon, in the presence of Nathalie Perrin Gilbert, Vice-Mayor of Lyon City of Culture, and Sylvie Ramond, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, with the participation of Jamal Ben Hassan Al-Moussawi, Secretary General of the National Museum, and a number of governors, ambassadors, and officials interested in cultural and museum affairs. The inauguration ceremony included a musical performance by the Omani artist Musallam bin Ahmed Al Kathiri (recipient of a special award in the Aga Khan Award for Music 2022 AD for his excellence in serving the Omani musical heritage), accompanied by the Al Balad Band. partnership
Jamal bin Hassan Al Mousawi, Secretary General of the National Museum, said: We are honored to cooperate with the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, one of the main museums in the French Republic, which hosts the “Oman Day” exhibition and activities, after the success of the “Fragrant Paths” exhibition in Muscat, specifically. In the “Beit Jreizah” palace, which is administratively affiliated with the National Museum, and the exhibition is the first museum exhibition from the Sultanate of Oman to be hosted in the French Republic for many years, and the first ever outside Paris. He added: The partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon comes within the framework of the cultural diplomacy pursued by the National Museum, which aims to strengthen the bonds of friendship and introduce the Omani cultural heritage through a number of selected archaeological finds that reflect these distinct historical, aesthetic and ethical characteristics of the Majan civilization, and the civilization of the land of Oman. Frankincense, the era of Islam, and the formation of the Omani empires during the rule of the Ya’ruba and Al-Busaid.
initiative
For her part, Sylvie Raymond, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, French Republic, said: “Contributing to the dissemination of cultures and strengthening partnership across borders is one of the most important challenges for museums in the twenty-first century. Fruitful with Jamal bin Hassan Al-Musawi, Secretary General of the National Museum and the team working at the National Museum in the Sultanate of Oman, where the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon presented a group of collections dating back to ancient times to the twentieth century that sheds light on the path of perfumes in an exhibition entitled “Fragrant Paths” Inside the corridors of the wonderful Jarizah House, which was inaugurated in October 2022 AD.
She added: It is a great honor to host in the city of Lyon the “Journey to the Land of Frankincense” exhibition, which includes a prominent collection of the National Museum of Oman’s holdings, which were carefully selected by a team of the two museums, and which invites the visitor to dive into the depths of the rich Omani heritage and culture from Antiquity to the present day.
She pointed out that this exchange of our museum holdings, which is based on the foundations of rich scientific and cultural exchange, gives us the opportunity to offer our visitors a new experience of fruitful cooperation projects, and it was also important to display Omani holdings in a context that contains realistic scenes from the Sultanate of Oman, so we summoned the photographer Ferrante Ferrante. Who will move us with his lens to the land of frankincense.
25 collectibles
The exhibition, which will last until September 10, 2023, is full of (25) items that shed light on beauty, the culture of goodness, belief, the pursuit of knowledge and commerce, and illuminate visual features that embody the history of the Sultanate of Oman and its ancient nation, with its past and present, and display different patterns of life in the original country, which has distinctive features. The culture for which he is famous, and is manifested in multiple images of great beauty, and has a fragrant fragrant fragrance that emanates from the culture of goodness that he is unique to, his originality and the firmness of his beliefs. The exhibition also sheds light on the trade routes of the Sultanate of Oman, on land and sea, where trade was a pen that drew the features of exchange between nations, and outlined ways of communication between Oman, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, ancient Egypt, East Africa, and the Roman Empire.
Antiques
Among the most prominent artifacts on display is a tablet inscribed with the Southern Arabic Musnad script (in the Hadrami language) from the city of Samhuram in the Dhofar Governorate, dating back to around the first century BC (the Iron Age), in addition to a necklace dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (2700-2000 BC) from the Bat region. In Al-Dhahirah Governorate, where the sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ain, which are included in the World Heritage List of the Organization (UNESCO), constitute one of the most integrated settlements of the third millennium BC in the world. It dates back to the Iron Age, in addition to a snake statue dating back to the Iron Age period (1,300 BC – 300 AD) from Seih al-Qaa in the Wilayat of Al-Hamra in Al-Dakhiliyah Governorate, where archaeological excavations revealed many belongings of a sect that worshiped snakes in Silut, and these sects have disappeared like other religious sects With the spread of monotheistic religions, and the dawn of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
holdings
The exhibition also includes holdings from the site of the ancient city of Qalhat, which is included in the World Heritage List of the Organization (UNESCO), representing the remains of decorative elements (tiles) of the Qalhat Mosque dating back to the period between the 14-15 centuries AD, when the ancient city of Qalhat was, known as the twin city of Hormuz; It is the main port in northern Oman, between the two centuries (7-9 AH / 13-15 AD), and the city’s mosque was the most famous architectural edifice among its buildings. Coins found in Oman to date, as it was found inside a pottery pot in (Shawal 1399 AH / September 1979 AD) in the Niyabat of Sinaw in the Wilayat of Al-Mudhaibi in the North Al-Sharqiyah Governorate. A piece of silver dirham dating from the Sasanian and early Islamic periods.
The manuscript (Al-Nuniya Al-Kubra) by the Omani navigator Ahmed bin Majid Al-Saadi dates back to the period 1157 AH / 1744 AD, when Omani navigators played an important role in developing traditional navigation literature in the Indian Ocean. The most famous of them is the Omani sailor Ahmed bin Majid Al-Saadi, who was particularly skilled in measurements of the height of the stars, and presented more than 73 star groups to determine the latitude. 9-10 AH / 16-15 AD, dating back to the period November 6, 1887 (Al-Busaid state), as well as an inkwell decorated with floral inscriptions and Arabic writings, attributed to Sultan Turki bin Said, dating back to the second half of the 19th century AD (Al-Busaid state), a gunpowder store (Talaheeq) where Qarn Al-Baroud was designed to fill the barrel of a gun (Abu Fila) with gunpowder, dating back to 1796 AD (Al-Busaid state).
message
It is worth noting that the National Museum aims to achieve its educational, cultural and humanitarian mission by consolidating noble Omani values, activating affiliation, and raising public awareness among citizens, residents and visitors for Oman, its history, heritage and culture, and by developing their capabilities. Creative and intellectual, especially in the areas of preserving evidence and collectibles, and highlighting the cultural dimensions of Oman; By employing and adopting the best practices and standards in the fields of museum sciences.
It is noteworthy that the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon is located in the heart of “Tiro” Square in the center of Lyon, in the wonderful Benedictine monastery that dates back to the 17th century AD. The monastery is now home to a stunning sculpture garden. The museum consists of five sections and (70) halls. The show focused on works of art from all major civilizations and schools of art, from ancient times to the present day.
The museum presents a museum narrative that extends back to about (5000) years of art history, with masterpieces by Veronese, Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin, Renoir, Gauguin, Chagall, Matisse and Picasso over the past years.
