Muscat: Oman’s maritime heritage and contemporary achievements are highlights of the exhibition ‘Oman and Sea’ due to open on Thursday at the Trocadero gardens, close to National Maritime Museum, and in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture along with the French foreign ministry in Paris, will run until November 4.

Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed, in an official message, has highlighted “the values of tolerance, cultural interaction, dialogue, respect and positive cooperation upon which Oman’s foreign relations have been based for many years” and their progress “since first informal contacts in the 1660s”.

The Sultan expressed the importance “of conserving our human heritage, and its diversity, the dissemination of knowledge and the deepening convergence and understanding between cultures”.

Regarding the exhibition, French President François Hollande said: “Oman has a unique location at the crossroads of maritime routes between Asia, Africa and Europe, and has enjoyed the benefits of this location since the third millennium BC, making it the cradle of the frankincense trail. Oman is rightly proud of these traditions which are warmly appreciated in France.

“The ‘Oman and the Sea’ exhibition provides an encounter with early contacts between East and West over 5,000 years. It also honours those generations of sailors and navigators who traded spices and frankincense, and managed, through the epic stories of their travels, to convey their deep knowledge to other generations.”

A traditional Omani badan (a sailing ship) will be unveiled at the fountains. A Royal Navy of Oman band was also due to perform at the ceremony.

The exhibition includes a film that discovers Oman’s proud maritime heritage and contemporary achievements.

The exhibition projects various aspects of Oman’s maritime history, heritage and its tools, which played a great role in the development of Omani civilisation in the East as well as in the West for over 5,000 years.

Through the epic stories of Omani ships, which set out to conquer the oceans, visitors will be introduced to Oman’s history and values.

They will see how Omani sailors brought prosperity and valuable cultural exchanges to their country through their bold voyages to develop maritime trade.

The expo will present stages during a voyage of discovery, with visitors first welcomed to an Omani Majlis, where they can taste Omani hospitality along with its rich cultural and colourful customs and traditions.

The expo will also showcase a range of exhibits from scientific objects to beautiful models of boast, from antique and historical artefacts to original maps and charts which have never been shown in Paris. The exhibition is aimed at school children and the general public having special interest in Oman and the Indian Ocean.

It will be accompanied by a series of lectures and there will be an interactive area for children within the gallery.

The exhibition will have different sections including introduction, maps and illustrations, first navigators, traditional construction, art of navigation, ocean commerce, navigating into the future and discovery area. The expo will be supported by a catalogue book, a documentary on DVD and a special website.