Oman Across Ages opened in 2023 in the historical province of Manah in northeastern Oman.
The new Oman Across Ages Museum tells the story of the Sultanate of Oman, from its geographic pre-history through its 1970s Renaissance to the present day and beyond. The museum features an auditorium, permanent and temporary exhibition halls, a large garden, and many dining options, as well as an extensive library, the Knowledge Centre.
The museum site is enormous and is made possible by its desert location.
Eng. Al Yaqdhan bin Abdullah Al Harthi, director general of the Oman Across Ages Museum, told blooloop:
“We have an art piece, for instance, that is a reconstruction of a Magan ship. This is made of reed bundles painted with tar, with ropes of palm fibres and woollen sails, and is ten metres high.
“Everything is huge. The exhibition is, essentially, one open space. It is divided into many pavilions, but as an architectural piece, it’s one 10,000 square metre space.”
Oman Across Ages is predominantly an audiovisual museum, and was named by CNN as one of world’s five Future Museums.
“It’s aimed at everybody,” continued Al Harthi. “Our main target is young people. Their language is technology, so we have given them the history of our country through AV and interactive technology. We have had more than 350,000 visitors within nine months. This is an amazing number when you consider our business plan talked about reaching 200,000 in a year. Our peak was 11,800 visitors in one day.”