Stepping back in time at Bait Adam Museum
By Ali Ahmed al Riyami — After being nominated by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Abdulatif Juma, Owner and Curator of the Bait Adam Museum, was honoured with the prestigious GCC Archaeology and Museums Award, which was presented to him by Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, in his capacity as Chairman of the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities, in the presence of Abdillatif bin Rashid al Zayani, the GCC’s Secretary-General. Abdulatif received the award at a special presentation ceremony held in Saudi Arabia and the Observer caught up with him to find out more about his accomplishment, his role as a curator and collector of antiques and historical memorabilia. “Every year, a worthy recipient is presented with the GCC Archaeology and Museums Award and last year I was nominated by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, due to the achievement of the museum — Bait Adam is small in size, but large in the quality of its artefacts — and was honoured with the award,” said the recipient of this prestigious award.
Abdulatif began collecting memorabilia in his childhood, noting, “Being an antiques collector is not an easy thing, you must have the passion for it.” And commenting on how it all began for him, in turning his hobby into what is today the Bait Adam Museum, he said, “The idea started in 1999 after retiring from government employment. I had a lifetime’s collection of historical artefacts and items, so I thought why just selfishly keep them all to myself, why not put them on public display and show them to the people. “All of the artefacts belong to the history of Oman; some are everyday household things used by people here in the olden days, while the pictures depict the lifestyle of Oman and how it used to look like in the days gone by. So, if you visit Bait Adam, you get glimpses of Omani history all under one roof.”
Bait Adam is indeed a treasure-trove of Omani antiquity and reflecting on the country’s rich past, he pointed out, “The history of Oman is 5,000 years old and Omani relations with most of the big powers is the oldest in all of Arabia. The first ever Arabian ship to dock in New York was an Omani one and the first official trade delegation was also an Omani one, in 1840, while the first treaty by an Arabian country with the US was signed in 1833 during the reign of Sayyid Said bin Sultan (the founder of the Al Said dynasty).” The Museum is considered as having one of the finest coin collections of Oman and its dominions. As pointed out by Abdulatif, “The first minted coinage in the Arabian peninsula was in Oman in year 81 of Hijra (in the Islamic calendar, which is over 1,300 years ago). It is depicted in one of the Omayyid coins.” He clarified the point by adding, “I’m talking about the Arabian peninsula, because the first Islamic coin was struck in the year 77 of Hijra in Damascus, but the first minted coinage, in the time of the Omayyid, was in Oman in the year 81 of Hijra.”
Abdulatif pointed out that the museum has always been privately funded by him. “I wish that this historical monument — Bait Adam Museum — would be supported by the government. Up to now we have had absolutely no support, neither from public authorities or commercial organisations. I don’t need any support for myself; I need it to be able to run the museum smoothly. This place shows the history of Oman, it is not my family’s history it is Oman’s history and, as such and if we love Oman, we have to allow it to run smoothly. “At the moment it is run by my own family, I, my son Adam and my daughter Maryam. We open only by appointment and we are grateful for the help of our associates in the travel trade. Travel agencies, especially Zahara Tours as well as Travelco, are supporting us and I wish other agencies would follow suit.
“We have had 100 per cent positive feedback from everyone who has visited the museum. Inspectors, who visit the museum prior to the appointed visits by tourists, highly recommend us and in many travel books, such as Lonely Planet and Bradt, we are the only Omani museum to be ‘highly recommended’.” Commenting on the new digital video display he has installed at the museum, he explained, “For tourists coming to Oman, especially on cruise ships, their stay in Oman is very short. I do my best to encourage them to know more about Oman and to return here for longer visits. So, before guiding them around the museum, I start by showing them a documentary produced by the Ministry of Tourism, which gives them a greater insight into Oman and not just the popular tourist hotspots.
“Oman is so large; we have different climates in different parts of the country with different landscapes that are all open for visitors to explore. The documentary highlights this and helps to encourage them to come back to Oman again.” In his response to what it means to him to have won the award, Abdulatif said, “I’m very happy to be recognised, which is supposed to have happened a long time back. I have received a lot of accreditations; from the Sultan Qaboos
University (SQU), because I had conducted an exhibition for them, and from various companies — where their VIP’s come and have a special tour of the museum. Some of them have gone on to say their visit to Bait Adam was the highlight of their Middle Eastern tour.”
University (SQU), because I had conducted an exhibition for them, and from various companies — where their VIP’s come and have a special tour of the museum. Some of them have gone on to say their visit to Bait Adam was the highlight of their Middle Eastern tour.”
“When I receive these praises, I appreciate them. I’m grateful to the Ministry of Heritage and Culture for nominating me and highlighting the museum. So, last year, I travelled to Saudi Arabia to receive the award, which has since brought greater attention to the museum from our local authorities here. “It must be remembered that tourism in Oman is seasonal, taking place during periods of good climate, which here in Muscat is from November till April. After April there’s nothing and we become dormant. At this time, the place still needs to be run and so we really need a good level of support for this to happen.” One of Abdulatif’s major ambitions is to expand the Museum so that he can put on display many more artefacts that are currently lying in storage because of the current shortage of space. He is very knowledgeable and an avid reader of Omani history, owning his own fine array of old books on the subject, which in themselves are rare antiques.
— Photos by Ali al Riyami
Friday 09th, May 2014 / 19:55 Written by
No comments:
Post a Comment