Ghalya’s Museum of Modern Art

Contrary to the name, there is not much modern art on view at Ghalya’s Museum. That addition is yet-to-be-completed. Nevertheless, this labor of love of Her Highness Sayyida Dr Ghalya bint Fahr bin Taimour Al Said is worth visiting, if not for the future it promises in its contemporary Omani art, but as a tribute to its culturally-rich past. You are transported to 1950 to 1975 Oman. The whitewashed “Old House” weaves its story through its rooms, each simply named with their function. Living quarters brim to life with furniture, rugs, and clothing. There is an aura of purity as the museum depicts life before the stress and confusion of technology. In every room, you spy tools now rendered as artifacts – mawqe’at al wuqoof (incense grinder) or copper cookware. Even once-solid traditions have gone wayside. The Wedding room is the most striking, the bride’s chest is no longer in vogue; her gorgeous dresses in vibrant shades need a new home. Not all is lost, however: you leave with newfound understanding of how the present echoes a glorious past. It is a satisfying feeling.