President of Zanzibar visits National Museum

Muscat: Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, visited the National Museum on Wednesday as part of his official visit to the Sultanate of Oman.

The guest was greeted by Jamal Hassan Al Moosawi, Secretary General of the National Museum.

The guest and his accompanying delegation went on tour of the museum and its galleries during which they were briefed on their contents that highlight important aspects of the history and civilization of the Sultanate of Oman.

During his tour, the guest visited the Maritime History gallery, where he got acquainted with the Omani fleet during the reign of Sultan Said bin Sultan Al Busaidi in Muscat and Zanzibar. He also familiarized himself with the discoveries from the wreck of the sunken ship from the (Vasco da Gama) fleet, in addition to the manuscript of Kitāb al-fawāʼid fī ilm al-baḥr wa-al-qawāʼid (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship) by the famous Omani navigator Shihab al-Din Ahmed bin Majid Al Saadi loaned from the Al Assad National Library in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The guest also viewed the tree of life sculpture (Makonde Ujamaa), which was gifted by the late Tanzanian President Dr. John Pompei Joseph Magufuli, to the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimour. It was carved by hand by Makonde artisans, and made of “ebony” wood.

President of Zanzibar also viewed the mihrab belonging to the Al Awainah Mosque. He also viewed collections dating back to the Al Yarubi dynasty, including a curved sword (Shamsheer) and “Al Haswa” dagger belonging to Imam Saif bin Sultan Al Yarubi I. The sword and the dagger are two of the royal collections belonging to the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimour.

The president and his accompanying delegation also got acquainted with collections highlighting the religious tolerance in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as the position of the Omani woman in the Splendor of Islam gallery.

The guest also viewed collections that represent historical dimensions of the Omani relations with Africa in the Oman and the World gallery.

The President of Zanzibar also toured the corner dedicated to the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimour (the Dearest and Purest of Men) in the Renaissance Gallery. He viewed the origin will letter of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimour addressed to their highnesses; members of the Royal Family Council through the Defense Council, as well as other collections belonging to the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar was accompanied during his visit to the National Museum by Mohammed Nasser Al Wahaibi, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Administrative and Financial Affairs (Head of the Mission of Honour).