More than 5,000 visit Oman's National Museum in three weeks

Muscat: People are rushing to see the country’s newest cultural attraction, with the National Museum registering more than 5,000 visitors in its first three weeks of opening.
Out of the total of 5,012 visitors, 2,404 were children and students, 57 were senior nationals and senior GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) citizens, 77 were part of special categories, 216 were tourists, 624 residents and 1,634 were nationals and GCC citizens.
The museum is located in Muscat near Al Alam Palace.
Jamal Al Moosawi, acting director general of the National Museum, said he is happy with the turnout during the first three weeks and hoped for continued success and huge numbers in the near future.
“We are satisfied thus far for having received over 5,012 visitors in the first three weeks since the public opening. The number excludes our guests, who have benefited from the Learning Centre’s programme. Particularly, we are pleased with the number of family visits, and to see children of all ages, as they engage with our exhibits and learning activities.”
“The most memorable scenes for me personally are the ones where I saw grandfathers or parents explaining with much care and attention the significance of some exhibits to the youngsters. Of special importance to us was the visit on Sunday, August 14 of approximately 40 members of the Al-Noor Association for the Blind.”
“On the other hand, we would very much like to see more visitors from the expatriate community in the coming weeks, and as we approach the winter tourist season, we are aiming to engage with an increased number of tourists as well. To this effect, we hosted representatives of prominent hotels and tour operators earlier in the week to introduce them to the museum and the facilities on offer.”
“Our objective is to reach 120,000 visitors by the end of the first year of public operation.”
The museum has also registered a huge following on social media with 6,329 followers on Twitter, 2,171 on Instagram and 837 on Facebook. “I was so proud to visit the National Museum because I feel like it was time we showed our historical treasures to the world. Apart from the rest of the museum, something worth looking at is the Omani women’s showcase, which is very inspirational. I have only been there once, but did not see all of it as it is so huge and I ran out of time, but I would love to go back and see the rest of it and admire the glorious past of my beloved country Oman; I love the fact that its free for students and some other special categories,” said Siham, an Omani college student, who went to the museum last week.
The entry fee is OMR1 for Omani and GCC nationals, OMR2 for residents in Oman and OMR5 for tourists. Children and students up to 25 years old, the handicapped and Omani and GCC nationals, who are 60 years and above, can enjoy a free entry to the museum.
During the first phase of opening the National Museum to the public, the museum will be open for four days a week (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday), from 9am until 3pm, from July 30 until September 30, after which updates will be announced on opening it for more days in the week. The ticket desk will close at 2:30 pm.
Currently, the museum houses 12,583 artefacts, out of which 5,466 have been conserved and are on display, while 7,117 are still in stores. The museum features 14 permanent galleries and a learning centre, conservation facilities, a cafe and gift shop.