Oman govt wants UNESCO to recognise Ardha - a national sporting tradition

Muscat: Oman's government wants the ancient sporting tradition of "Ardha" to be recognised by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. (UNESCO)

Ardha, meaning "to perform" in Arabic, is a traditional pastime in Oman where jockeys can display their horsemanship and camel handling skills in the popular sport.

Oman's Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Royal Court Affairs announced today that it wants to form a committee to "include the authentic Omani traditional horse and camel sport, locally known as "Ardha" in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."

"In this context, the Ministry of Heritage and Culture organized the horse and camel Ardha, in cooperation with Cavalry Group at Sultan Qaboos University, (SQU) under the patronage of Sayyid Fahr bin Fatik Al-Said," the government news agency announced.