• Oman uses its outdoor environment to challenge the leaders of tomorrow on 1,000 km, 80 day desert expedition on foot and by camels

• Journey follows in the footsteps of famous British desert explorer Bertram Thomas

• Three day training course to navigate by the sun and stars recently completed in Sharqiya Sands with UK navigation expert Tristan Gooley

Muscat November 14th 2011

Relying on their own determination, a 600 year old navigational instrument called an Astrolabe, and a team of experienced Outward Bound Oman / Tahaddi guides, 48 youths from across Oman will embark on one of the most challenging and character building journeys of their young lives. To mark the anniversary of Oman’s 41st National Day, 48 young people aged between 16-24 years, from diverse educational and employment backgrounds will travel on foot, by camel, and traditional Dhow across the countries breathtaking and demanding wilderness. 

Using an ancient navigational instrument called an Astrolabe, teams of youths will learn how to navigate their way over the 80 day, 1000km journey from Salalah to Muscat. Introduced to the Islamic world in the eighth century, an Astrolabe is an ancient astronomical computer for predicting time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky. The Astrolabe will also help the team to predict prayer times during their journey.

The Outward Bound Oman/ Tahaddi instructor team, lead by Mark Evans have just returned from a very successful celestial and desert navigation course run by natural navigation expert Tristan Gooley. Tristan Gooley, who established a Natural Navigation school in the UK, is the author of The Natural Navigator, one of the world’s only books on navigation using nature as a guide. Tristan has led expeditions in five continents and is the only living person to have both flown solo and sailed singlehanded across the Atlantic. “The team acquired substantial knowledge from Tristan that we are sure to pass on to course participants for, not only this epic journey, but for future Outward Bound training courses,” explains Mark.  

Each 10 day leg of the eight leg journey has the support of a corporate partner, which include Port of Salalah, Ministry of Sports Affairs, Oman Methanol, Golden Torches Trading, Nawras/Shabbabia, PDO, National Bank of Oman, and Oman Air. Each of the corporate partners has selected a group of exceptional young people that they believe will reap the benefits that this extraordinary training program will offer. 

The first leg of the journey will leave Port of Salalah on 19th November by a traditional Dhow, making their way east to the Hallaniyat Islands, before coming ashore to meet the camels at Shuwaymiyah, and commence the overland element of the journey.  

Communicating via satellite phone to confirm respective rendezvous points each team will make their way from their designated location on foot, by camel, and traditional boat to complete their part of the journey. An experienced bedouin camel handler, Amr Al Wahaibi, from Bidiya will travel with the teams through the most remote parts of the journey. Each team will carry their own survival packs complete with camping, cooking, and first aid equipment.

Documenting the challenges facing the participants during this incredible journey are two UK based photographers, Sim Davies and James Walker. Both avid outdoor enthusiast their portfolios includes photographic expeditions through Nepal, the French Alps, Finland, and Southern Europe. A gallery of photographic images of each team will be uploaded to the Outward Bound Oman website and Facebook page daily via satellite link throughout the 80 day journey.

Daily audio logs will be uploaded to the Outward Bound Oman website every morning/evening enabling people to hear, first hand, to the adventures undertaken by each team as they navigate the vast Oman wilderness. Wisal FM, and Oman radio station will be broadcasting the daily audio logs during their scheduled programming every day for the duration of the 80 day challenge, and further coverage is being provided by BBC World Service radio and news-online. 

The Outward Bound Oman/Tahaddi initiative is a first for the Middle East region and is dedicated to using the outdoors to develop the life skills of young people in Oman.  It was set up in May 2009 by the founding partners SNR Denton, Shell and the Suhail Bahwan Group.  

For more information on the Oman 41st National Day Youth Challenge go to the Outward Bound Oman website at www.outwardboundoman.com 

Press Release Contact: 

Mark Evans 

General Manager 

Outward Bound Oman Email: mark@outwardboundoman.com 

Vanessa McCarron 

Media Relations 

Outward Bound Oman 

Email: vanessa@outwardboundoman.com

For further information on Oman contact:

Oman Ministry of Tourism Representative Office UK and Ireland

Sangita Makwana/Alicia Iglesias Cortes

Tel. 0208 877 4503/4

Email: oman@representationplus.co.uk

 FREE EXHIBITION IN LONDON SHOWCASING THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

 03 December 2011, 10am to 4pm, exhibition road

The Oman Ministry of Tourism Office in the UK and Ireland in association with the Omani Student Society in London is delighted to mark the anniversary of The Sultanate of Oman’s 41^st National Day with a free exhibition held at the Queens’ Hall of the Imperial College, Exhibition Road, London on 3 December 2011, from 10am to 4pm. The exhibition will incorporate all aspects of Oman’s Culture, Nature, Geology and History, through Travel, Photography, Art, Design, Traditional Clothing, National Manuscripts and Books. Hands on displays include a photo studio, a cinema area, food tasting and a traditional Henna tent.

 

Visitors will be warmly welcomed with Omani Halwa, dates and Omani coffee at the entrance while they watch a video introduction to The Sultanate. The exhibition will give them the opportunity to find out more about Oman’s fascinating culture and hearitage, 6,000 year history and geology treasures. An Arabian tent situated in the middle of the exhibition hall will reflect Omani traditions and lifestyle including examples of Omani National Dress. A photo studio attached to this section will give visitors the chance to take souvenir photographs wearing Omani outfits.

In addition, the exhibition will display one of the best collections of Omani photographs and art created by Omani professional photographers and artists, all reproducing significant aspects of Omani’s history, modern day life and future opportunities.

 

A bookstall will have a variety of Omani publications on display and to purchase emphasising the mission of the event which is “Knowledge Drives Oman Forward”.

 

For those interested in visiting Oman, The Ministry of Tourism, Oman Air and a selection of tour operators and hotels will offer information on how to go there, where to stay and what to visit.

About Oman’s 41^st National Day:

Among Oman’s numerous Festivals and Events, National Day celebrates Sultan Qaboos‘ reign and deserves a special mention. Celebrated with much grandeur every year on 18 November, it is accompanied by camel races, traditional dancing and stunning light decorations in its capital Muscat and many other places of the Sultanate. With over 750 Omani students studying in the UK they too celebrate National Day by sharing their culture and heritage in a different location each year. Last year the event took place at Cardiff’s National Museum, The Wales Museum.

 

 

For more information about Oman please contact:

 

Oman Ministry of Tourism Representative Office in the UK and Ireland

Sangita Makwana/Alicia Iglesias Cortes

Tel: + 44 208 877 4503/4

Email: oman@representationplus.co.uk

Visit: www.omantourism.gov.om

 

For more information on the Exhibition:

Visit: www.omanssl.net

Muscat Festival: a celebration of the Year of the Child
26 January – 23 February 2012

In brief

• The Muscat Festival starts 26 January 2012 
• The Festival grounds are located at Qurum Natural Park and Naseem Park. 
• Opening times are 4-11pm daily, including weekends. 
• Entry fee is 200 bzs for adults; 100 bzs for children. 
• There will be a number of key highlights including The Oman Heritage and Cultural Village; The International Festival for Arts & Creativity; The Oman Food Festival; The Muscat Fashion Week; Traditional Boat Racing; well as lectures, Omani plays and concerts, carnival displays, amusement parks and a family village at Naseem Park. 
• 128 of the world’s greatest cyclists will be competing in the Tour of Oman from 14-19 February, including Cavendish, Schelck and Cancellara
• A full list of events and information on timings, venues and how to buy tickets can be found on the website www.muscat-festival.com 

In full

The much-anticipated programme of events and activities for the 2012 Muscat Festival has been confirmed as starting on the evening of Thursday, 26 January. 

A showcase of both Omani and international culture and heritage, the main activities of the Festival will once again be focused in the two parks of Al Naseem Park, and Qurum Natural Park. 

“Dedicated the 'Year of the Child' by our Council of Ministers, this edition of the Festival is particularly focused on creating education, fun and entertainment for the youth. The powerful combination of our Muscat festival with the Tour of Oman has also created an ideal platform to showcase our rich traditions and historical identity. Last year’s Festival witnessed over 1.2 million visitors with the global reach of the Tour of Oman was in excess of 180 countries and we expect both these numbers to increase this year.” said HE Eng. Sultan Hamdoon Al Harthi Head of Muscat Municipality   

With Muscat having been honoured by being named the 2012 Capital of Arab Tourism as well as being voted the second best city in the world to visit by Lonely Planet, behind only the Olympic Games host city of London, this also increases the strategic importance of the Muscat Festival and Tour of Oman for the promotion of the Sultanate on the international arena.  

Highlights will include the Oman Heritage and Culture Village, where visitors will have the opportunity to learn from the best Omani artisans traditional skills throughout the full festival period. Alive with entertainment, children’s shows and plays, the village will include a working souq, with a variety of stalls to buy woven baskets, pottery and silver as well as to enable visitors to watch experts in traditional Omani occupations at work. 

The International Festival for Arts, Heritage and Creativity will again be a highlight of Qurum Natural Park with displays from over twenty-five countries.  As part of the Festival there will be the Muscat International Award for Innovation and Creativity in Crafts.  Aimed to stimulate innovation and creativity, US$100,000 (38,500 OMR) will be distributed to winners of ten handicrafts themes:



For families with children, Al Naseem Park will also be the perfect place for fun and excitement, incorporating an amusement park, funfairs, electronic games and children’s shows with an education village to captivate the imagination. There will also be nearly five hundred shops from almost thirty countries, giving the Festival a truly global appeal.

A great success in 2011, the Oman Food Festival will run for ten days from the 7 -17 February in Qurum Natural Park. Run in association with the expert eyes of chefs and students from the Oman Tourism College, the food festival will give festival goers the opportunity to experience the very best in Omani cuisine. with both in courtyard dining and takeaway meals on offer. 

At The Wave, Muscat there will be two days of Traditional boat racing on the 9 and 10 February. Traditional boat races began as a way for sailors to meet and visit one another's dhows when they arrived at large ports. To celebrate this history, there will be a display of traditional boats like Al Badan, Al Ghanjah and Al Boom on the 9 February and then three types of races on the 10 February from 0800-1200hrs: old & new Houri Races New and the Al Shash Race. The Houri races will see ten sailors compete with and a captain, while the Al Shash race will be with just two sailors and without a captain. In each race there will be prizes awarded to the top three boats. 

The enthusiasm witnessed over the first two editions of the Tour of Oman has once again set the scene for 128 of the world’s greatest cyclists to return to take on the challenges of Oman’s dramatic landscape over six days from 14-19 February, covering a total distance of 875 km.  Organised in association with the legendary Eddy Merckx and Amaury Sport Organisation, names to watch during this race include the British Sprinter and UK Sports Personality of the Year, Mark Cavendish (winner of 21 stages in the Tour de France and the holder of the Tour de France Green Jersey), Fabian Cancellara (winner of the 2012 Tour of Oman, four times Time Trial World Champion, current Olympic gold medallist and twice winner of the Paris-Roubaix) and Andy Schelk, who has been 2nd in the Tour de France three times.  

The sixteen teams confirmed to compete are:- 
• BMC Racing Team 
• Bridgestone Anchor Pro Cycling Team 
• Champion System 
• Farnese Neri Cycling Team 
• FDJ
• Garmin-Cervelo
• RTS Racing Team 
• Greenedge Cycling Team 
• Katusha Team 
• Liquigas-Cannondale
• Lotto-Belisol Team 
• Omega Pharma – Quick Step Cycling Team 
• Rabobank 
• Radioshack-Nissan 
• Project-1t4i
• Sky Procycling
Further details and the route maps can be found on www.tourofoman.om 

In recognition of the talented designers of the Arab world, the Muscat Fashion Week will continue to put Oman in the spotlight. Taking place between 21 – 23 February in Riyam Park, local Omani designers will be taking their designs to the catwalk alongside other top Arab and South Asian designers. This second Muscat Fashion Week will also present the international community with an outstanding example of the beauty of Arabic influenced fashion.  There will also be a showcase from the designers post each show at Ghalya’s Museum of Modern Art from 22 – 24 February 10.00am to 7.00pm. 

The two parks will be open from 4pm – 11pm between the 266h January and the 23th February. Entrance fees have been set at 200bz for adults, 100bz for children and action and with excitement promised for every day of the festival, it will be a month of entertainment for everyone !  

A brochure has also been prepared by Muscat Municipality, which outlines the key highlights of the festival and specific information such as dates and timings, tickets. This can be picked up from various shopping malls across town, the arrivals hall at Muscat International Airport and at Bait Baranda museum. 

Further information, photos, videos and programme timings can also be found on the website www.muscat-festival.com. 


Notes to editors

For all media enquiries, please contact: media@muscat-festival.com 

High resolution photographs of 2011 Festival can be downloaded at the following links. Credit: Lloyd Images/Muscat Municipality,  
1. Muscat Festival
http://lloydimagesgallery.photoshelter.com/gallery/Muscat-Festival-2011/G00009yQATh.c29c
Password "muscat7"

2. Tour of Oman 2011 
http://lloydimagesgallery.photoshelter.com/gallery/Tour-of-Oman-2011/G0000IdkOY2C99gg
Password "muscat"

Photographs are rights free for use in local media related to the Muscat Festival/Tour of Oman only. For any other use, please contact Muscat Municipality media team for permission. 

Professional photographs of the 2012 event will also be available for download in high resolution from the media zone on the website www.muscat-festival.com from 8 February 2012.  These images will be rights free for editorial use in media publications only.