Tuesday 13 / May / 2025
Mirbat: The seminar on the Omani Navigator Shihab Eddine Ahmed bin Majid was held in the Wilayat of Mirbat yesterday under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service.
The seminar was organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, represented by the Directorate General of Heritage and Culture in the Governorate of Dhofar.
Sheikh Kahlid Al Marhoon affirmed in a statement that the contributions of the Omani Navigator Ahmed bin Majid, the most famous Arab navigator, added another dimension to the humane knowledge and reinforced the ancient maritime history of the Sultanate.
He added that behind this extended history of Oman and its glory through the ages, men gave themselves and made the sacrifices that deserved to be recorded in the books of history with gold.
He pointed out that behind this maritime role of Oman, there are men who believed through their quest of knowledge and the result was an empire whose sons are proud of generation after generation.
Sheikh Al Marhoon added that Oman’s leading maritime role was built on the shoulders of men, such as Ahmed bin Majid, who developed the tools necessary for marine science, relying on compass, magnets, stars and astronomy.
Ahmed bin Salim Al Hajri, Director General of Heritage and Culture in the Governorate of Dhofar, said that the seminar is part of the cultural events accompanying Salalah Tourism Festival to celebrate the Omani Navigator Ahmed bin Majid, one of the symbols of the Omani navigation and the pioneer of maritime
navigation.
The seminar’s programme included the presentation of a range of working papers by academic researchers and specialised historians.
A paper entitled “Ahmed bin Majid: The Man, Navigator and Scholar,” was delivered by Dr. Said bin Mohammed Al Hashmi from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU. A paper themed “The Omani Ahmed bin Majid in the Oriental Studies,” was presented by Dr. Mohammed Qasim Bahjam. Said bin Khalid Al Amri presented a paper entitled “Spatial Geography in the Works of Ahmed bin Majid: Dhofar Ports and their Landmarks as a Model”.
Another paper discussed “The Scientific Value of Ahmed bin Majid’s writings, which was presented by Hussain bin Ali Ba Omar.
Hamoud bin Hamad al-Ghailani presented a paper entitled “Reading in Summary of Regulations of Seas”. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Rahbi, researcher in history presented a paper themed “The Role of Official Institutions in the Exposition of Ahmed bin Majid and his Scientific Heritage”.
The seminar included a poem and a presentation on the biography of the Omani Navigator Ahmed bin Majid, in addition to honouring the participants and sponsors of the seminar.
The seminar on the Omani Navigator, Ahmed bin Majid, a pioneer of maritime navigation, aims to highlight one of the Omani important personalities who has left their mark in the field of maritime navigation and to identify the institutional role and efforts exerted in highlighting scientific, intellectual and literary achievements.
The Omani Navigator Ahmed bin Majid Al Sa’adi is one of the most prominent Arab navigators in the ninth Hijri century / fifteenth century, given to his scientific, intellectual and literary legacy.
Ahmed bin Majid collected practical experience as a navigator and theoretical knowledge by recording his observations and documenting the various knowledge related to marine science, which made his achievements important references for researchers, scholars and interested orientalists and Arabs alike.
