Oman's Diwan of Royal Court releases calendar of cultural events

Muscat: This year’s annual plan for activities organised under the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science (SQHCCS) has been released by the Diwan of Royal Court.
The calendar, which starts in April and ends in December, has eight different sub-agencies that the activities fall under.
Activities
The list contains activities of the centre itself, including the Omani Association for Fine Arts, the Omani Association for the Oud Hobbyist, the Omani Association for Photography, Library Administration, the Omani Centre for Traditional Music, and the Department of Cultural Affairs.
Habib bin Mohammed Al Riyami, secretary general of the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science, outlined the expansion process for the centres in the Sultanate.
“This is all for the Omani youth. We have been able to expand the number of centres from 24 to 34. This year, we will have the 10th Summer Course, which teaches students much more than just Holy Quran recitation, it’s a true learning experience. It’s important to keep in mind that we are referring to 34 centres, hosting 34 separate summer courses with around 100 students per centre. We will be using more than 60 buses to bring students to the centre,” Al Riyami said.
Quran recital
One of the biggest events of the year is the Sultan Qaboos Quran Recital Competition. Last year, the Quran competition had 2,011 applicants from 24 centres across the Sultanate.
There were 1019 male applicants, compared with 992 females.
Registration for the Sultan Qaboos Quran Competition started in the first week of April.