Eng. Al Yaqdhan bin Abdullah Al Harthi is the director general of the Oman Across Ages Museum. This new museum charts the story of the Sultanate of Oman from its geographic pre-history through its evolution to the Renaissance of the 1970s, to the present day and into the future. Al Harthi was involved in all aspects of its creation, overseeing the collection, storyline, conservation work, structure, and policies. As part of his role, he helps visitors connect with Oman’s past, understand its present, and envision its future.
The museum has an auditorium, permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a vast garden and numerous dining venues, and a comprehensive library, the Knowledge Centre. It takes inspiration from the landscape and canyons of the Al Hajar Mountains. Leveraging scale, form, light, and vistas, the design harmonises with the landscape and celebrates Oman’s rich heritage.
Inside, open, column-free spaces afford an unobstructed visitor experience. The content traces Oman’s story from its first prehistoric settlers through the following civilisations to its modern renaissance.
Speaking to blooloop in 2024, Al Harthi said: “I was handling this from the museum’s initial concept. The museum was built by the vision of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, which was to build a museum in Manah, a small village near Nizwa, the ancient capital of Oman. Oman Across Ages is an audiovisual museum, looking at Oman’s history from its geographic and geological origins through to 1970, and then the 50-year renaissance period of achievement that followed under the reign of the late Sultan Qaboos, and into the future.”
The Oman Across Ages Museum’s vision is to be a world-class visitor destination that strengthens the relationship of Omani youth with their cultural heritage, transforming the way they engage with their country and inspiring them to participate in shaping its future.