MUSCAT: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) has included the Omani manuscript Al Nuniyah Al Kubra (The Great Nuniyah) written by Omani navigator Ahmad ibn Majid, to the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme as the second Omani manuscript to be listed in the programme.
Al Nuniyah Al Kubra is one of the most important Omani manuscripts in the field of navigation and oceanography. It documents valuable information about the movement of ships and international shipping lines in ancient times. Scholars before Ahmad ibn Majid divided the Earth into seven regions in the northern hemisphere before Ahmad ibn Majid’s Al Nuniyah Al Kubra added seven more regions in the southern hemisphere.
The manuscript constitutes a human heritage presenting realistic images of the communities encountered by the author and his crew during their voyages. It provides a detailed description of the marine environment and its creatures, including whales, coral reefs and ancient ship anchoring methods.
The Omani navigator Ahmad ibn Majid al Saadi was born on the coast of Oman in 1421 CE and died in 1500 CE. He developed the compass and left a scientific legacy of more than 40 works including Al Nuniyah Al Kubra a copy of which is preserved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth. In 2021, UNESCO included the Omani navigator Ahmad ibn Majid to its programmes for the fiftieth and centenary commemorations of historical events and influential figures in the world. — ONA
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