Away from books, workshops, seminars and the brainstorming sessions there is a corner at the Muscat International Book Fair that is built on emotions of two women to celebrate the legacy of their mother.
The stall of Dr Sora al Rowas and Dr Meda al Rowas at the book fair has become a hub for cultural exchanges about Islamic art and architecture as well as Oman’s history based on the photos from 1977 in the book ‘Faces and Places’. The publishing house was founded by their parents Aida al Rowas and Shaikh AbdulAziz al Rowas in 2012.
The siblings have established Dar al Sorat Publishing House since 2017, mainly to celebrate artworks that apply a modern perspective to traditional Omani architecture, Arab heritage, and Islamic art. They are promoting and showcasing the works of their late mother, bringing her art, vision, and design concept to the world.
In 2014, Aida wrote in ‘Faces and Places’, “It was in November of 1977 as Oman was celebrating the Seventh National Day, that I came to Muscat. I had left Beirut, its streets ravaged by war, for a city so little known that most Arabs would have been hard pressed to locate it on a map.
"From the moment of arrival I was mesmerised by the beauty of the natural environment in which Muscat is set and the magic of its silent mystique. I was given the opportunity to venture deep into Oman's heartland, the interior region, where I was welcomed with graciousness into the daily lives of the people. I captured some of the unassuming moments encountered using my simple camera.
"Thirty-six years have passed since my first visit to Oman, and I believe that now the time has come for me to publish these photographs. This book is for those new generations who know little of the lives of their forefathers. It is for those who take their modern surroundings and convenient way of life for granted, with little thought to the effort and hardship their predecessors endured to secure it. In conclusion, I pay sincere tribute to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who led Oman's transformation into what it is today.”
“Our mission is to inspire artists, researchers, and passionate connoisseurs to consider aesthetic form, content and function with new depths and greater freedom when interacting with heritage and culture related works. We believe that allowing for a broadened perspective through artistic innovation can expand our conceptualization and understanding of shared identity and increase our capacity for harmonious coexistence,” Dr Sora told the Observer.
Their gallery, Dar Al Sorat LLC in Rabiyat al Qurum, today is helping art connoisseurs to learn more. Art, for these passionate daughters, is the relationship between the human being, the form and the function of creative work is a highly complex one, that is deeply interconnected with the customs and conventions. The form, or the ‘outward and visible’ aspect of a creative work, can be understood as a response to a specific context, which is heavily intertwined with its function, or in other words, the ever-evolving means of human interaction and engagement with it.
Aida had met Al Rowas during her visit to Oman in 1977 and got married within a year. Their life together was a study in cultural exchange, finding common ground through a deep and considered moral outlook, and their belief that love ultimately motivates the daily choice to trust, respect and support the other. They remained married until she passed away in May 2020.
Today, their daughters, Dr Sora and Dr Meda, own and run Dar Al Sorat, sharing a common vision to continue their distinguished legacy, setting one of the finest examples of living the legacy of one’s parents.
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