Symposium traces cultural relations of Oman, China

Sohar: Voyage Symposium “Interpretation and Outlook” started yesterday at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture.
The 2-day symposium is organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture to mark the 35th anniversary of the arrival of the “Sohar” ship to the port of Canton in China. A group of researchers and specialists from Oman, China, Ireland, and Australia are participating in the symposium to strengthen the historical relations with the People’s Republic of China.
A number of government agencies and bodies, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the University of Nizwa, the Faculty of Applied Science in A’Rustaq, Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), the National Documents and Archives Authority (NDAA), Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science, the Omani Society for Writers and Literati (OSWL), Cultural Club, and the Literary Forum are taking part in the symposium, in addition to specialists, academics and interested persons in maritime history of the Sultanate.
The symposium aims to highlight the evolution of the historical relations between the Sultanate and China in cultural and economic fields, as well as to highlight the contributions of Omani sailors and merchants in the consolidation of relations between Oman and China in the Islamic eras.
The symposium started with the speech of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture delivered by Hassan bin Mohammed Al Lawati, Advisor to the Minister for Heritage Affairs, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the symposium, followed by the speech of keynote speaker, Mohammed bin Said Al Wahaibi, followed by the speech of the Chinese side delivered by Dr. Ding Lung, Vice- Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Studies at the international University of Economy and Trade, Beijing People’s Republic of China.
A short documentary was screened about the voyage of Sohar, which sailed in (1980-1981).
The building of the ship was inspired by the adventures of Sinbad and the Middle Ages ships. The Sultanate’s government oversaw the organisation and operation of this voyage, with direct care of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
Sohar was built on a similar version of the Arab 9th century ships. It is 87 feet in length (approximately 26.5 meters) in seven months of wooden planks joined together by ropes of coconut husk, which reached a length of about 400 miles (approximately 640 km). The task of (Sohar) as a ship was over as soon as the journey ended, but its mission as an ambassador and a symbol of friendship is not over, and will continue to play its role.
Rahma bint Qasim Al Farsiya, the Sultanate’s representative in the UNESCO International Network for the Silk Rout Online Platform talked about the platform and the major topics of interest to the platform.