OMAN: Open Day for Frankincense Collection Festival held

22nd, February 2015

SALALAH: His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, yesterday presided over the open day for frankincense collection festival, which was organised by the Office of His Majesty the Sultan’s Adviser for Cultural Affairs at frankincense trees protected area in Wadi Doka, one of the frankincense sites listed on the World Heritage List.

The festival held on the sidelines of the International Conference for Archeological Parks and Sites, which opens today at Dhofar University, was attended by Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed al Rowas, His Majesty the Sultan’s Adviser for Cultural Affairs, and a number of ministers, undersecretaries, officials, scientists and executives taking part in the international conference.

The festival included a number of events. Twelve traditional tents that embody the old environment for frankincense collection were mantled to give visitors hands-on experience on traditional frankincense collection process. The festival included a display of frond products that were used in the past in the production of frankincense.

A number of Omani families also participated in the sorting out of frankincense depending on colour, formation and how it is made ready for export by the old trade caravans.

The festival also included habitats for animals, such as camels and goats and how their products are used. There was also a corner for preparing traditional foods served to frankincense workers. Traditional troupes also staged many art performances. It should be noted that the Office of His Majesty the Sultan’s Advisor for Cultural Affairs has implemented an experiment last year for the production of frankincense at Frankincense Protected Area in Wadi Doka using the old traditional means for frankincense production in certain seasons.