Take a drive into the villages of Oman, catch hold of a few old Omanis, ask them about their early lives and then take a drive around the modern cities to see again, now with a view to comparing and contrasting your experience with the stories you just heard from the old people, well, you will get an idea of life here in the last 50 years. But if you want to explore Oman 5000 years old, take a leisurely drive to Bait Adam museum located in Muscat and go back in time browsing the history of the country that is 5000 years old.

The brains behind Oman’s second private museum, Abdullatif Juma Adam, is a historian and researcher who has been collecting artefacts since his childhood.

“I wanted all the history about the country under one roof and in 1999, after retiring from government service, I decided to open a museum that will give complete information about Oman,” Abdullatif says.

Abdullatif himself has a story to narrate as he recalled the 50 glorious years of Oman. “I was studying in Bahrain and came to Oman in 1970. I still remember going to the old airport to welcome the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. I was using the old Kodak camera then to capture the important milestone in the history of Oman.”

Abdullatif joined the Ministry of Education in 1971 and later moved to Muttrah Municipality where he had the opportunity to meet Sultan Qaboos twice. “I believe I was the first employee to use a typewriter to type in Arabic and English at the same time,” he recalls.

An avid music lover, Abdullatif was also instrumental in starting the Sultanate’s first pop-music band in 1972. “I used to manage the band. We had all Omanis and one Indian in the group. We used to perform everywhere at that time,” he recollects.

His band performed during the fourth National Day in 1974 and at various ceremonies including the opening of Seeb International Airport (now Muscat International Airport).

When British construction firm George Wimpey (Wimpey-Alawi which is now Carillion Alawi LLC) constructed several ministerial complexes Abdullatif’s band performed at the opening ceremonies. They even performed at the inauguration of Gulf Hotel in Qurum (now Crowne Plaza).
Abdullatif briefly worked for Muscat Municipality before retiring in 1999. “Ever since then I have been here at the museum. This is fully funded by me,” he says.

He was honoured with the prestigious GCC Archaeology and Museums Award, which was presented to him by Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz in his capacity as Chairman of the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities in the presence of Abdillatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, former GCC’s Secretary-General.

Abdulatif has begun collecting memorabilia from his childhood. “Being an antiques collector is not an easy thing… you must have the passion for it and at the same time finding stuff that is part of history. You need real patience too,” he says.

“It was more of a hobby in the beginning and I used to collect everything I came across but then when I started the museum I started collecting things that can be recorded in history books.”

At the museum, you will find artefacts that belong to the history of Oman; some are everyday household things used by people here in the olden days, while the pictures depict the lifestyle of Oman in the past.

Abdullatif has a wealth of knowledge about the history of Oman. “The first-ever Arabian ship to dock in New York was an Omani one and the first official trade delegation was also an Omani one, in 1840, while the first treaty by an Arabian country with the US was signed in 1833 during the reign of Sayyid Said bin Sultan (the founder of the Al Said dynasty),” he points out.

“I have one of the finest coin collections including the first currency used in the country,” he notes.

Due to the pandemic, there has been a drop in visitors to the museum.

“To manage this museum is a difficult task. My son Adam and daughter Maryam help me to run it. This museum is an encyclopedia for all those who want to learn about Omani history. History can be taught in classrooms but to see it in real…that’s a magical experience.”

Abdullatif Juma Adam