MUSCAT: Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, the former adviser for Cultural Affairs to the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimur, died on Sunday, sources close to his family informed The Arabian Stories.

Sheikh Al Rowas was also the former minister of Information Affairs and Youth and had a major role in developing media and culture throughout his career that spanned over five decades. “Sheikh Rowas was a statesman who gave his life to this nation. He was a loyal citizen who inspired generations,” said Dr. Ahmed Al Futaisi, former Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

Born in Salalah, Al Rowas worked as the Director of Dhofar Media, and later moved to Muscat to become Director General of Public Relations and Foreign Communications at the Ministry of Information. On January 1, 1976, he was appointed Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information for Media Affairs. He continued in the position until he was appointed as Minister of Information and Youth on May 22, 1979.

During his tenure at the Ministry of Information, Al Rowas was instrumental in developing media infrastructure and had also contributed to the modernization of legislation regulating the work of the media.

In 2001, the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos appointed Al Rowas as adviser for cultural affairs. In this role, he supervised many major cultural projects, and as Chairman of the National Committee for the Preservation of Antiquities in Dhofar, he led great efforts to preserve the Omani heritage, and was able to include many heritage sites in the list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

After serving the country for more than fifty years, Al Rowas retired from public life on April 1, 2020. In recognition of an illustrious career and his dedication to it, he was granted one of the highest civilian honours in the country, ‘Wissam Al Rusookh’, by the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos in 2010 to commemorate his lifetime of service.