oh, wise sultan

disclaimer: this post may or may not be a (not so) shameless plug for my place of former employment and inspiration for a long term academic career, the sultan qaboos cultural center in washington, dc.

this article from the khaleej times online showed up in my google alerts. (yes, i have my google news alerts feed me news containing "sultan qaboos" or "oman.") Turns out another name for the SQCC in DC is Sultan Qaboos Centre fore Islamic Culture (point of interest: SQCC in the US is very loosely affiliated with Islam; since religion can be a touchy issue in any country, it focuses more on the history and cultural heritage of Oman, with respect to its Islamic traditions) ... but in any case, I was very excited when I found this article, because Oman is not prominent in many news sources (I check the BBC, Washington Post and NY Times online almost every day). Oman in general is not known by many audiences and whenever I tell my parents' friends at family gatherings about where I'm going in a little over two weeks, they always respond, "where?" and sometimes, when I tell them that Oman's located in the Arabian Peninsula south-east of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, their immediate conscience relates my future home for the next year to Dubai, which is understandable because of the location and all, so they bring it up the next time they see me and ask, "When are you going to Dubai?" and I politely correct them and say, "Muscat. Completely different." :: smile ::

So my point here is thus: my last month of work in June was the busiest month ever, due to my impending departure and the grand opening of a rather remarkable and close to epic exhibition at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery, "Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries." When SQCC first opened in late 2005, the then-director jumped on the bandwagon of getting the Center to become a lead sponsor for the Smithsonian exhibit, alongside some major names in Portugal. It was made clear that Oman will not be prominent in this exhibit, save for the recognition in all the Smithsonian publicity, because the curators could not get sufficient artifacts from the country in time for the opening. In any case, as the director and Omani deputy director had predicated and as I had witnessed at the opening press conference in mid-June, Portugal was taking the stage yet again, reveling in the attention that it had received many centuries ago, when they established the first European global trading empire. Oman, though one of the lead sponsors, was not mentioned much in the following press articles and reviews ...

I'll stop rambling soon. My point finally is thus: (I promise!) I am so glad that this recent lecture got covered in news that would make it in Google news feeds about Oman. Many may not know about but those who do know about it or at least have heard about it will be inclined to Google search it (it's inevitable these days ... or maybe Wikipedia it), and this article will pop up and demonstrate (although briefly) the historical significance that the ancient city of Muscat has in global history, well before the European story was documented. Oman's successes, both past and present, deserve to be told, and although it may not receive high international exposure, at least there will be a curious buzz in the air inquiring about what has made the Sultanate endure for so many years.

Later, I'll briefly expand on Oman's history as a trading empire (it had never been occupied by a European country, save for the 50-year Portuguese occupation in the late 16th century) and discuss the transformation of the country under Sultan Qaboos (a new idol of mine; I hope to meet him!), but for now ... sleep is in order.

(on an unrelated note, I have my visa! Next on my list: a power converter ... )