Researchers, academics and culture enthusiasts from around the world now have more than four thousand Omani manuscripts on their fingertips, thanks to the new digital platform that was launched on Sunday, under the patronage His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture.

The first-of-its-kind project in the Sultanate enables reading the manuscripts online, in addition to obtaining a digital copy of the manuscript for a minimal fee.

In line with its efforts to lead the digital transformation in the country, Omantel has supported the project by creating a platform that is user-friendly and safe, it has also been equipped with an index to easily browse through the manuscripts.

To read the manuscripts online, users need to register in the platform for only RO 20 annually. They can also save a copy of the manuscript by paying RO 10 for each manuscript, with or without the annual subscription.

It is worth mentioning that the manuscripts digitization project is yet another milestone in the cooperation between Omantel and MoHC, and it aims to further promote Oman’s rich heritage and culture by enabling everyone to have an easy access to manuscripts, which will encourage more researches and studies within Oman and abroad.

Humood Al Rashdi, Head of Manuscripts Department at MoHC, said “We are glad to announce for researchers from around the world that accessing Oman’s manuscripts has never been easier, and they can also obtain a digital copy of the manuscripts for offline use. This has been achieved after five years of hard work in collaboration with our strategic partner, Omantel, who ensured that the platform is user-friendly and safe. This achievement will further promote Oman’s rich history, culture and heritage with ancient manuscripts in various areas of science.”

Haitham Al Tamimi, the Project Manager from Omantel’s ICT unit, commented “We are proud to cooperate with the MoHC in this national project that promotes our rich history, heritage and culture that goes back to thousands of years. We have worked hand in hand with the ministry to digitize four thousand manuscripts with their indexes and information as well as to create an online platform where users from around the globe can easily browse through the manuscripts and obtain a digital copy for offline use.”

He also added, “At Omantel, we make our best endeavours to utilize 4.0 technologies in building a sustainable digital society and support a knowledge-based economy through smart services and innovative solutions as well as our strategic partnerships with major public and private entities in the Sultanate. We are glad about what have been achieved so far, and we will continue to enrich the digital experience in the country.”