During the conference, two distinguished Omani experts will be inviting us to rediscover the figure of Ibn al-Dhahabi, an explorer and navigator born in Oman, whose life and legacy reflect the adventurous spirit and deep maritime tradition of his homeland. His voyages, which connected the Indian Ocean with distant horizons, opened up routes for cultural and commercial exchange that indirectly linked the coasts of Arabia with the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula over time. This factor reminds us that Oman and Spain, although separated by seas and continents, shared the same network of cultural, scientific, and trade flows for centuries, in which figures such as Ibn al-Dhahabi represent the common thread of a shared history marked by coming together and reaching mutual understanding. 

With the participation of: Mahmood Al Abri, Secretary General of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and Khalid Al Maamari, an adjunct professor at the University of Sohar’s School of Education and Arts. 

Mahmood Al Abri is Secretary General of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Bangor University (2019) and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education from Yarmouk University and Sultan Qaboos University. He began his career as a mathematics teacher and, prior to taking over his current position, he held planning and cultural leadership roles. He has held numerous presentations at national and international forums, is actively involved in several Omani committees on culture, heritage and ethics, and represents Oman internationally through executive roles at ALECSO and ISESCO. 

Khalid Al Maamari is an Omani writer, poet and adjunct professor at the University of Sohar’s School of Education and Arts. He earned his PhD in Arabic Language and Literature from Sultan Qaboos University in 2021 and is the coordinator of the Al-Awtabi Center for Cultural and Heritage Studies at the University of Sohar. A member of the Omani Society of Writers and Authors, Al Maamari has had extensive works published in poetry, prose and literary criticism. His most notable titles include Wa Qāla Niswatun fī al-Madīna (2007), Wahdak Lā Tusāfir Marratayn (2009)—which received the Cultural Creativity Award for Best Poetry Publication—and Aḥjiyat al-Sard (2017), which also won the Cultural Creativity Award for critical studies. His contributions highlight his role as a leading voice in contemporary Omani literature and cultural thought.