Your search

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has achieved strong performance in high-resource languages; however, Dialectal Arabic remains significantly under-resourced. This gap is particularly evident in Oman, where Arabic exhibits substantial sociolinguistic variation shaped by settlement patterns between sedentary (Hadari) and nomadic (Badu) communities, which are often overlooked by urbancentric or generalized Gulf Arabic datasets. We introduce OMAN-SPEECH, a sociolinguistically stratified spoken corpus for Omani Arabic comprising approximately 40 hours of spontaneous and semi-spontaneous speech from 32 speakers across 11 Wilayats (provinces). The corpus is balanced to capture regional and lifestyle variation and is annotated at the sentence level with Arabic transcription, English translation, and phonetic transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) through a human-in-the-loop annotation pipeline. OMAN-SPEECH provides a foundational resource for evaluating ASR and related speech technologies on Omani and Gulf Arabic varieties and supports more granular modeling of regional dialectal variation.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a life threating disease and a major public health problem caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm named Echinococcus granulosus. Cystic echinococcus is transmitted from animals to human (zoonotic disease). In endemic areas, the incidence rate reaches over 50 per 100,000 person/year and prevalence may be as high as 5-10%. It is found in most countries worldwide, but it is not an epidemic disease. Current treatment involves surgical removal of the cysts, percutaneous drainage, or chemotherapy with anthelmintic drugs like albendazole. While albendazole is effective in treating (CE) in both humans and animals, though, it has drawbacks, including poor absorption, vertigo, liver enzymes elevations plus the risk of recurrence. Recently, there was a high tendency among researchers to evaluate and present herbal plants as an alternative option due to being easily available, inexpensive, cheap and with low side effects. Therefore, the current project aims to explore the scoliocidal potential of Boswellia sacra extracts, and essential oils on Echinococcus granulosus both in vitro and in vivo. Protoscolices were collected from hydatid cysts obtained from infected sheep livers. Many polar and non-polar solvents were used to obtain a wide range of extracts from B. sacra gum resin. Extracts were prepared and applied at various concentrations (e.g. 30, 3, 0.3 µg/ml) for different exposure times (2-60 minutes). The mortality rates were assessed using 0.1% eosin staining by light microscopy. The results so far obtained indicate that all extracts used in the current study displayed promising significant scoliocidal effects against E. granulosus in vitro speaking. However, the standardized B. sacra gum resin extract showed the highest scoliocidal activity in vitro, achieving 100% mortality at 3µg/ml after 10 minutes of exposure compared to both negative and treated positive control with albendazole. These results are promising, however, additional in vivo studies are in progress to confirm such activity.

Frankincense, the aromatic resin obtained from Boswellia species, has been traditionally valued for its medicinal and antimicrobial properties. A standardized extract of Boswellia sacra (Omani frankincense) was evaluated for its antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The chemical composition of the powder was analyzed using HPLC/MS, revealing a rich profile of bioactive triterpenoids including boswellic acids (AKBA, KBA, α-BA, β-BA, α-ABA, and β-ABA) and lupeolic acids (LA and ALA). Among these, β-ABA (86 µg/mg) and AKBA (50 µg/mg) were the most abundant. Antibacterial activity was assessed using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays, showing moderate inhibition of Escherichia coli (MIC: 512 mg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 1024 mg/mL). Antifungal testing revealed stronger effects, with 38% inhibition of Fusarium sp. at 0.25 mg/mL after 5 days of incubation. However, the inhibition of Alternaria alternata at 0.5 mg/mL was 45%. These results support the potential of this standardized extract as a natural antimicrobial and antifungal agent and underscore the value of Omani frankincense in traditional and modern therapeutics.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a severe zoonotic disease that poses a significant threat to humans and animals, slow animal husbandry, caused by larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. Canines are the definitive host, while humans are the accidental host. E. granulosus infections often remain asymptomatic for years before the cysts grow large enough to cause symptoms. Hepatic and pulmonary signs and symptoms are the most common clinical manifestations. Approximately 4 million people are infected with hepatic hydatid disease globally, and an additional 60 million are at risk of infection. The liver is the most involved organ, although it may affect other organs. The diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis relies on immunodiagnostic methods alongside radiological methods in combination with clinical findings. Albendazole and Mebendazoles are the drugs for choice in treating small cysts and preventing recurrence after surgery. In general, herbal extracts from different plants have gained attention in recent years for the prevention and treatment of a variety of chronic conditions due to their multi-targeted characteristics. Nerium oleander has a wide range of potential activities including anticancer, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. B. sacra gum resin possesses a wide range of potential activities such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, analgesic, immunomodulatory. Given the side effects of the medications used and the risks of surgical procedures, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of combining extracts of N. oleander leaves and selected B. sacra gum resin extracts. The samples were exposed for different time periods (5-20-35-50) minutes using different concentrations (30µg/ml-3µg/ml-0.3µg/ml) for each exposure period. The combination of the extracts had a clear effect on the percentage of killing protoscoleces in vitro. The percentage of killing protoscoleces increased with increasing concentration and exposure period of the extracts in vitro, the highest percentage of killing was recorded in the N. oleander extract, reaching 70% at a concentration of 30mg/ml for a 50-minute exposure period. After combining the extracts, the highest percentage of killing was recorded, reaching 64% at a concentration of 30mg/ml for a 50-minute exposure period. The highest percentage of killing was recorded for the B. sacra extracts reaching 58% at a concentration of 30mg/ml for a 50-minute exposure period. The current results in vitro are interesting and encouraging, indicating some synergistic effect between these extracts, however, additional animal studies are required to further validate the synergistic effect of B. sacra and Nerium oleander leaves.

This study explores the significance of the gum-arabic tree (Acacia senegal), locally known as “Tur” (/θur/) in Dhofar, the only region in the Arabian Peninsula where it naturally grows. Its gum, called “Malukh” (/məlɔx/), holds exceptional medicinal and nutritional value. Traditionally, both the bark and gum have been used to treat wounds, infections, respiratory and digestive disorders, joint pain, kidney failure, and eye diseases. It is also valued for enhancing immunity, fertility, and overall vitality. Secondary products such as camel milk and honey derived from trees’ nectar further contribute to its health benefits. The dark red gum considered the highest quality, is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and essential minerals like calcium and magnesium. Its solubility, lack of taste or color, and low caloric content make it suitable for therapeutic use, weight management, and cholesterol reduction. Furthermore, it plays a role in skincare, cosmetic products, and pharmaceutical formulations. Despite its proven properties, its use remains largely confined to older generations. This study highlights the urgent need to scientifically document, preserve, and promote this underutilized national resource, recognizing its potential in both medical applications and sustainable economic development.

Gangrene is a serious condition, which is characterised by tissue death. It results from restricted blood flow and anoxic conditions and is frequently caused by atherosclerosis, tissue damage, diabetes mellitus and some pathogen infections. Gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis), a common class of gangrene, results from bacterial (particularly Clostridium perfringens) infections following tissue injury. Woodfordia uniflora is used in traditional Arabian healing systems to treat gangrene ulcers and skin sores. However, despite its well-documented uses, W. uniflora has not yet been rigorously tested against bacterial causes of gangrene ulcers and skin sores. Additionally, W. uniflora extracts are yet to be tested for therapeutic potential against other aspects of ulcer/wound healing, including inflammation and tissue regeneration. Solvent extracts prepared from W. uniflora leaves were tested against C. perfringens as well as a panel of epidermal bacteria. Antimicrobial activity was quantified by MIC determination. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was evaluated using COX-2 and PGE2 ELISA assays. Toxicity was evaluated using ALA and HDF cell viability bioassays. The methanolic, ethanolic and aqueous extracts displayed noteworthy inhibitory activity (≤875µg/mL) against C. perfringens. The ethanol extract was particularly good, with an MIC of 250µg/mL. The extracts also had noteworthy inhibitory activity against several antibiotic-resistant epidermal bacteria, including MRSA (MICs 250-650µg/mL). Additionally, the W. uniflora extracts (1.25mg/mL) significantly inhibited COX-2 activity and PGE2 secretion. The ethanol extract was particularly promising, decreasing COX-2 enzymatic activity and PGE2 secretion by approximately 60% and 73% respectively. All W. uniflora extracts were non-toxic in the ALA and HDF cell viability assays, indicating their safety for therapeutic use. Taken together, these results indicate that W. uniflora extracts have therapeutic potential in the treatment of gas gangrene by inhibiting C. perfringens (and several skin bacteria), as well as inhibiting COX-2 mediated inflammation. Further studies are required to determine whether the extracts also affect extracellular matrix formation and tissue remodeling, and to identify the extract components responsible for those activities.

This presentation highlights the innovative integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) aromatherapy into chronic disease management, centered on Oman’s unique medicinal resource—frankincense (Boswellia sacra). We explore the systematic development of its compound formulations and multidimensional therapeutic applications. Guided by the TCM theory of “meridian attribution based on fragrance and flavor properties, we synergize modern extraction techniques (e.g., supercritical CO₂ extraction) with advanced formulation technologies (nano-carriers, targeted delivery systems) to develop a synergistic frankincense-myrrh compound system. This approach effectively enhances the bioavailability and stability of bioactive components. Industrial-scale production of aromatherapy transdermal patches and aerosol formulations has demonstrated preliminary success in community-based health interventions, particularly in regulating emotional states and improving sleep quality among hypertensive patients. Furthermore, this speech proposes a China-Oman collaborative initiative to advance the sustainable utilization of frankincense resources and facilitate the joint establishment of international quality standards. By integrating the TCM philosophy of “preventive treatment of disease” with Omani traditional therapies, we aim to build an interdisciplinary cooperation network. This framework seeks to address global health challenges in aging societies through culturally informed, evidence-based innovations.

Alors que l historiographie continue de considérer que l unité territoriale de l Occident musulman ne serait devenue incontestable qu à partir de la fin du Ve/XIe siècle, cet ouvrage propose de remonter cette chronologie en éclairant les modalités de sa progressive construction au cours des premiers siècles de l époque islamique. Produit d une approche qui combine la relecture de textes classiques, bien connus des historiens mais encore insuffisamment critiqués, et l analyse de sources moins fréquemment mobilisées, c est une nouvelle géographie historique de l Islam méditerranéen qui est ici proposée, reposant tant sur l identification d un maillage d itinéraires que sur la mise en évidence d une diversité d usages de l espace. L unité de l Occident musulman, qui se trouve au carrefour de l Europe carolingienne, de l Afrique subsaharienne et de l Orient abbasside, s impose dès lors comme un fait incontournable de la Méditerranée médiévale

This paper presents the newly identified Middle Palaeolithic site of Wadi Baw 4, in the Al Wusta Governate, close to Duqm. Middle Palaeolithic sites are very rare, especially in central Oman, where no sites had been identified prior to this, making this an important site not only for Oman, but the broader Arabian Peninsula. The site is a large (100m2) and relatively dense (>30 artefacts/m2) lithic scatter located on a slightly elevated limestone ridge with outcropping chert nodules at its base and flanks. The lithic assemblages produced from these chert nodules exhibit technological variability and weathering heterogeneity, indicating a likely palimpsest of Pleistocene (Middle Palaeolithic) and later Holocene occupation phases that targeted this raw material. By extending the Middle Palaeolithic record of hominin activity into the Huqf area of south-eastern Arabia with the first evidence of Levallois lithic technology, Wadi Baw 4 helps to diversify the picture of Arabian prehistory and promises to make an important contribution to wider debates surrounding the early peopling of the Arabian Peninsula. Work is in progress to establish a robust chronostratigraphic framework for the site through a multi-technique dating approach. In the meantime, this paper will present some preliminary results from the analysis of the Middle Palaeolithic lithic artefacts from the site and briefly consider where they might fit within the wider context of the Arabian Middle Palaeolithic.

Omani forts and castles represent a distinctive model of defensive architecture, constructed out of the need to ensure the security of coastal and inland regions. This architectural style transcended its purely military function to become an architectural text that generated cultural meanings and historical narratives. Thus, it may be examined through the integration of architectural studies with semiotics and hermeneutics, presenting Omani forts as symbolic productions connected to their historical and social contexts. The importance of this architecture becomes evident when recognized as a transboundary tradition extending to Bahrain, where Omani migrants contributed to the transfer of architectural characteristics through construction activities. This paper offers a historical reading of the transmission of Omani architecture and its relation to the artistic and cultural contexts of Bahrain. It inquiries into Omani influence within two historical contexts: the eighteenth century, when the Omanis built Arad Fort; and the mid-twentieth century, when they arrived as migrants and participated in residential construction. The study aims to understand their impact on the Bahraini architectural character, particularly given that they functioned as executing laborers under the supervision of Bahraini contractors. The study adopts historical and descriptive methods to examine Omani architectural influence, emphasizing the roles of design and execution as parallel authorities shaping the final form. The paper focuses on Omani craftsmen as cultural agents and intermediaries between Omani architecture and the new environment. Through comparative analysis, the study reveals two patterns of influence: direct and indirect, with Omani craftsmen remaining the principal common factor. This demonstrates how Omani architectural influence extended across time and space, highlighting its significance as a historical and transboundary phenomenon.

The rock art of Ẓufār, consisting of both engravings and paintings, was first documented through the pioneering work of Ali Ahmad Mahash al-Shahri in the early 1990s. He reported the presence of painted caves in the monsoon- affected coastal area and subsequently identified engraved rocks in the semi-desert region of the Nejd. Despite their significance, these paintings and engravings—including several rock inscriptions in the South Arabian alphabet (27- 29 letters) with a local variant that can be called ‘Omani script’, whose earliest traces date back to around the 4th-3rd century BCE —have not yet been the subject of systematic scientific study. The iconographic context includes animals (mainly ibex, camels, dogs, snakes), anthropomorphs, footprints, ships and inscriptions in Ancient Arabic alphabet. Two fieldwork campaigns, conducted in 2023 and 2024 by the CNRS–CEFREPA (Centre Français de Recherches de la péninsule Arabique) with the authorization of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism of Oman, mark the beginning of such an effort. The project included the complete recording of a boulder from Wadi Lahjeej, now housed in the Oman Across Ages Museum, carried out with the support of the museum’s directorate. A multi-level documentation process has been initiated, comprising the inventory of engraved rocks with GPS coordinates, a photographic survey, plastic-sheet tracings of the engravings, the compilation of a figure catalogue, and the establishment of a relative chronology leading to preliminary interpretative hypotheses. Particular attention is devoted to identifying and characterizing the figurative styles represented in the rock art of Ẓufār—both in the cave paintings and in the Nejd rock carvings. In addition, a comparative study of the inscriptions is underway to determine whether the painted scripts found in the caves differ from those engraved on rocks in the Nejd. The language of the rock inscriptions will also be determined: Old South Arabian epigraphic as Hadramatic epigraphic, Old Shahri, or Old Arabic, or another unknown local language. Finally, the project seeks to investigate the possible connections between the rock art of Ẓufār and that of Central Oman (Al-Wusta Governorate) and the northern regions of the Sultanate of Oman.

The bay of Ras Al Jinz, at the easternmost tip of the Arabian Peninsula, hosts one of the most significant Early Bronze Age settlement complexes of coastal Oman, offering a unique window onto the settlement patterns and socio- economic transformations that marked the region during the Bronze Age. Excavations conducted over the past three decades at RJ-2 and RJ-3 reveal a long sequence of occupation spanning from the Late Neolithic (ca. 4300–3200 BCE) through the Hafit period (ca. 3200–2600 BCE) to the Umm an-Nar period (ca. 2600–2000 BCE). During the Umm an-Nar period, these two neighbouring sites, located on opposite sides of the bay, formed a single, extensive settlement complex covering 3–4 hectares, continuously occupied throughout this phase. This integrated landscape reflects an evolving organization of space, work, and community life that illustrates the broader cultural and societal developments of the Early Bronze Age in Southern Sharqiyah. RJ-2, the main residential nucleus, presents a long stratigraphic sequence organized into successive architectural compounds that demonstrate evolving construction techniques and increasingly complex spatial planning. Evidence of domestic life, storage, and large-scale food processing, including smoking installations for fish curing, attests to intensive exploitation of marine resources and the production of surpluses. Across the bay, RJ-3 functioned as a specialised workshop quarter, where excavations revealed a series of ephemeral huts and working floors with abundant production debris related to the manufacture of shell and stone ornaments, supported by specialised toolkits. Together, RJ-2 and RJ-3 represent a coherent socio-economic system in which residential and productive dimensions were closely integrated. Their spatial and functional complementarity embodies a decisive step toward economic diversification and intra-site specialisation, key hallmarks of complexification during the third millennium BCE.

Paleolithic research in the Sultanate of Oman, which is still in its formative stage compared to neighboring regions such as the Levant and the Iranian Plateau, requires extensive application of absolute dating methods on undisturbed cave and rock-shelter deposits to establish a reliable and detailed chronological framework for early human occupation and environmental change. In 2023, our field surveys across the governorates of Ad Dakhiliyah and Ad Dhahirah identified a wide range of rock shelters, each with distinct geomorphological and archaeological potential (Beshkani 2023). For the first time, we propose that several inselbergs surrounding the Wilayat of Manah- most notably Karsha Rock (Jabal Sarouj), located within the residential area of Karsha and previously known primarily for its Islamic- period villages and fortifications- were likely occupied during the Late Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. In the outskirts of Ibri, where the Umm er Radhuma Formation provides a favorable lithological context for speleogenesis, our preliminary studies attribute the dispersed lithic artifacts discovered at the entrances of rock shelters to the Late Paleolithic.This evidence corresponds with increased precipitation during the Early Holocene and suggests a demographic expansion and intensification of habitation along the foothills of the Al Hajar Mountains (Preston et al., 2015). We also registered three relatively large caves in Wadi Dhank. The characteristics and composition of the cemented deposits within these caves indicate the former presence of enclosed water basins prior to the collapse and subsequent exposure of their entrances. The occurrence of speleothems in Al Mihayniyah-2 Cave, located adjacent to the Dhank–Fida road, provides a valuable opportunity to reconstruct the paleoclimate of the western Al Hajar Mountains, a region that today exhibits a semi-arid to arid landscape.

Despite the significant scarcity of water resources, human groups in Oman developed long-term strategies enabling sustainable occupation of drylands. These adaptive capacities were shaped over millennia of settlement in challenging and fluctuating environments that, over the past 10,000 years, experienced major shifts from humid to arid conditions driven by monsoon variability. Such climatic fluctuations profoundly influenced the availability of water, plant, and animal resources. The long-standing interactions between environment and early Omani societies, situated at the intersection of natural processes, climatic trends, and resource management strategies, are traceable in both archaeological and environmental records. The UmWeltWandel joint project (2020–2024) investigates the local-scale environmental evolution of the Al-Khashbah area in Oman through a multidisciplinary approach integrating geochemistry, geomorphology, geophysics, soil science, archaeobotany, and palynology. The project aims to reconstruct the long-term evolution of landscapes and resources in Central Oman over the last 10,000 years. This paper presents an overview of the project’s results, focusing on how the Al-Khashbah sector in the Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate evolved from the humid conditions of the Holocene Humid Period to the present arid climate, and how Bronze Age societies began to transform the surrounding landscape to optimize local resources around Al- Khashbah. By intensively investigating a single area through a multidisciplinary framework, this study both extracts new and challenging datasets and highlights the potential of selected environmental proxies for reconstructing human–environment interactions in Oman and, more broadly, in drylands.