“Oman’s New Musical Home” (CNN Report!)

Oman: The New Explorers

“Filmed during the spring of 2011, this eight-minute film features people who explain what Oman means to them and what living and working in the Sultanate offers.

The title ‘New Explorers’ encapsulates the excitement and sense of purpose of the people interviewed in the film — evoking the spirit of Oman’s ancient navigators and explorers who set forth to explore new horizons and discover new lands, and like our ‘new explorers’ taking Oman’s offer to the world.

We have big ambitions for the future of Oman and the ‘New Explorers’ film is a symbol of this ambition. We hope it encourages you to give the Sultanate serious consideration when choosing a place to work, invest, convene or visit as a tourist.”

How Much Do You Know about Oman?

  To celebrate Oman’s 39th National Day, I thought I’d put up a wonderful quiz given to me and my colleagues by the “social committee” at my place of employment. (Every job should have a social committee, don’t you think? 🙂 )

1.  In the past, Oman was known by the name Majan.  What does Majan mean?  A) the land of copper  B) the land of sand  C) the land of gold

2.  The name “Oman” is believed to originate from the name of:   A) a famous mountain  B) a famous wadi in Oman  C) a region in Yemen from which tribes migrated to Oman

3.  Based on the 2003 census, the population of Oman is approximately:  A)  3 million  B) 4 million  C) 2.5 million

4.  The founder of Al Said Dynasty was:  A) Ahmed Bin Said  B) Sultan Bin Said  C) Ahmed Bin Sultan  5.  His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said came to power in:  A) 1970  B)  1973  C)  1975

6.  The Omani National Day which falls on November 18th marks:  A) the day when the Sultan came to power  B) the Sultan’s date of birth  C) the date the Omani civil war ended

7.  During the 19th century, Omanis had presence in which African part?  A)  the Eastern Coast  B) the Western Coast  C) the Southern Coast

8.  The Omani national emblem consists of:  A) 2 swords and 1 palm tree  B) 2 swords and 1 khanjar  C) 2 swords and 1 boat  9.  Oman has 4 governorates and 5 regions.  Which of the following are the 4 governorates?  A)  Muscat, Dhofar, Musandam and Buraimi  B)  Muscat, Batinah, Musandam and Buraimi  C) Muscat, Dhofar, Musandam and Sharqiya

10.  The Renaissance Day is celebrated in Oman on:  A) July 23rd  B) July 22nd  C) July 31st

11.  Which of the following sites is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage?  A) Nizwa Fort  B) Bahla Fort  C) Bat tombs

12. The twin forts of Jalali and Mirani were built by:  A) the Omanis  B) the British  C) the Portuguese  Know the answers to these questions?! Think you can get a perfect of 12/12?!  Leave your answers under “comments”!  (FYI, the photos posted here were taken from old murals of last year’s Muscat Festival at Naseem Gardens.  BTW, there will be no Muscat Festival this year due to the H1N1 scare.)

See Oman, Feel Oman, Remember Oman

  These cool posters were displayed at a National Day event I attended today.  Pretty nice posters!  The website given, www.omantourism.gov.om , is very informative!  They have obviously done a LOT of work on it!  Make sure to check it out!  Great pics and videos included on the site.

More of Bandar Beach and The Oman Dive Centre

The rooms available at the Oman Dive Center are charming little huts and they go for around 30 rials. The problem is that they can be booked for weeks without any vacancy so you got to plan ahead…