The Herritage & Culture
 The Government pays special attention to the preservation of Oman's heritage, with the strong support of His Majesty, who has stated that the construction of a modern state utilising the latest scientific and technological methods, has not distracted Oman from its ancient heritage and achievements. On the contrary, it has worked hard to combine modernity with traditional values. 1994 was declared the Year of Omani Heritage. The country's constitution, issued in 1996, reaffirms a solid commitment to preserve the national heritage.
The Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, formed in 1976, is undertaking a number of programmes directed at reviving the cultural, scientific and architectural heritage and also training Omani specialists in a number of related fields. Among the work involved in this effort has been collection, classification, copying and printing of documents related to Omani history, both locally and abroad. Approximately 4,394 documents relevant to Oman's history were collected from Portugal, Holland, India, Britain, USA, Tanzania and elsewhere. State-of-the-art scientific methods are used to preserve these documents with the help of UNESCO and Sultan Qaboos University. A special section has been established at the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture to handle and preserve the documents.
The large number of forts, castles, mosques and ancient buildings situated throughout the Sultanate clearly reflects the Omanis impressive skills in the field of architecture and building, both from aesthetic and practical viewpoints. Out of more than 500 castles, forts and ancient buildings, a number, such as Bahla Fort, have been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, due to aspects of Omani life are displayed in a number of popular and much-visited museums, including the Oman National Museum, the Natural History Museum.
An Important aspect of cultural revival and preservation has been in the area of handicrafts, which has been encouraged and nurtured, despite the inevitable shift away from these ways in the face of modern production methods and equipment.
While providing all possible assistance and support to boost the cultural, intellectual and innovative skills and talents of the Omani people, the Government also works hard to build bridges of cultural cooperation and interaction with other friendly nations.
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