Sunday 22 / December / 2024
Oman has a glittering past whose history has been mapped by intellectuals, trend setters and scholars over the centuries who have shaped what we have today.
To honour their achievements, Oman must name streets after them to keep both their memories alive and their achievements. For example, why don’t we name a street after Ahmad bin Majid, the legendary sailor and sea navigator who was born in the 15th century? His navigational books helped sailors after him reach as far as East Africa and the United States by following the Monsoon Seasons and avoid turbulent sea waves.
Ahmad bin Naaman is the second legend who travelled by sea to the United States in 1840 and to become the first Arab Envoy to do so. His diplomacy paved the way for the Americans leaders to forge relations with the rest of the Gulf Countries. Seyyid Said bin Sultan, the Sultan of Oman changed the political map of Central and East Africa when he moved the capital of Oman from Muscat to Zanzibar in the 1850s.
There are many other Omanis as well, whose names can be used to name roads and streets to inspire young people and keep the tradition going. It will also provide a snapshot of our glittering past and achievements by keeping them alive for the future generations. The gesture will also pay tribute to their achievements.
Cities like Salalah, Nizwa and Sohar have had their fair share of contributions of Oman’s past. But also numerous other towns and villages produced legends who contributed positively to the country. It does not have to be the past legends only. Street naming can also be stretched to the more recent generations of Omanis who continue to shape the country by their contributions.
Street names are a summary of both the present and the past of any country’s society to honour and cherish contributions. Oman is now expanding the cities and towns and it will be the right time to consider naming the new streets to real people who made positive contributions to the country. But also the present can also be a proud history too for the future generations if we name streets after Omanis who are living now.
Many people would think naming streets is not practical but whimsical and even unimaginative. That’s where they go wrong. It is all about culture and tradition and how we should keep both going for as long as we can. In one of the speeches of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, he told the nation that a ‘country that does not respect its background has no present or future.’
Honouring citizens, both past and present, is to keep the heritage going. That way, history can be kept alive for many generations to come. Developers and planners of the cities, with well-chosen names, can always help support the communities we live in for years to come. It is about our self-identity, not to mention pride about our people. Street names, if well chosen to reflect the deep values of the society, are a subtle way to connect with the stories of the past.
This is a good reason to show that we care of our past with a sense of great pride. Not only for the present generation but for many more to come. It is also story-telling when a child ask where the name of his street comes from. This is how we will keep our glorious past alive always.
