Lukashenko attended National Museum of Oman run by compatriot: they say there’s our Belarusian here!
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has visited the National Museum of Oman, BelTA reports
The National Museum is located opposite the Sultan’s Al Alam Palace. The decree on the construction of a new museum building was issued on November 20th, 2013, and the official opening ceremony took place on July 30th, 2016.
The museum covers an area of 13.7 thousand square metres, of which 4 thousand are occupied by fourteen exhibition halls: Land and People, Splendour of Islam, Oman and the World, galleries of maritime history, weapons and armour, prehistoric and ancient history, intangible heritage, Aflaj irrigation system, and others. 400 square metres house temporary exhibitions.
In 2018, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the National History Museum of Belarus and the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman, and exhibitions are being exchanged. “I am confident that the continuation of the practice of mutual exhibitions of our countries’ national museums will open new horizons for strengthening Belarus-Oman ties, expand opportunities for the exchange of experience in the field of research and development, and enhance the potential of the national museums of the two states. I wish the management and staff of the museum new successes and achievements. May your grateful work help open new unexplored pages of the past and continue to inspire future generations to preserve and study Oman’s rich heritage,” Aleksandr Lukashenko’s entry in the Museum’s Book of Honoured Guests reads.
The excursion for the Head of State was conducted by the Secretary General of the National Museum of Oman, Jamal bin Hassan Al-Moosawi. “They say there is our Belarusian here!” said Aleksandr Lukashenko, greeting him at the entrance to the museum.
The fact is that Jamal Al-Moosawi’s mother is a native of Belarus, and he himself speaks excellent Russian.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Minsk is starting the construction of a new building of the National History Museum and therefore it is important to see how such museums are organised in other countries of the world and study the experience. “Maybe when you come up in our country, you can tell us how to do it,” the Head of State suggested. Jamal Al-Moosawi expressed readiness to assist in this matter.
As for the National Museum of Oman, it is subordinate to the Sultan of Oman and is a strategic institution. “We deal with issues of national identity: the questions of who we are in the global world,” Jamal Al-Moosawi revealed.
“It’s important to us, too,” the President affirmed.
Jamal Al-Moosawi shared some details of his family history with journalists, “Our family connection with Belarus, according to archival data, has an affiliation from the beginning of the 18th century. This is the first data we were able to track down. We are also proud that my grandfather was a Great Patriotic War veteran and contributed to the victory over fascism. It is a very relevant topic today. My grandmother and other relatives area also war veterans. We are proud that we still have relatives who live in Belarus, we have good, warm contacts.”
He confessed that he feels at home in Belarus too, not as a foreigner. He misses the natural beauties most of all, “I miss forests, lakes, rivers. My ancestors came from Rechitsa, on the bank of the River Dnieper.”
During his visit to Oman in October 2024, Belarus’ Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko donated to the museum a facsimile edition of Francysk Skaryna, which contains all the famous works of the Belarusian first printer.
In autumn 2019, the National Art Museum of Belarus hosted the Oman: Pearl of the East. Handicraft Heritage exhibition from the collection of the National Museum of the Sultanate. In turn, the National Museum of Oman presented the Patterns and Symbols: Legacy of Belarusian Ornament exposition in 2020-2021; it displayed a variety of traditional folk customs shown in symbols, decorative patterns, and woven prints.
