By virtue of its geographical location on the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman has lain at the intersection of networks of trade and exchange between Asia, eastern Africa and Europe since antiquity. This has given Oman a rich archeological and architectural heritage. However, what is less well appreciated beyond the Gulf Region is that the flows of people and ideas in which Oman has been engulfed for over two millennia have also produced an equally rich heritage of folksong and dance. This thesis is the first scholarly study of Omani vocal heritage. After tracing the origins and most significant aspects of the history of Omani singing and associated performative traditions, the thesis considers the part that this vocal heritage has played in Oman‘s emergence as an economically modern and politically stable nation. The foundations for Oman‘s robust economic development over the past five decades were created in the early 1970s by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. It has been the goal of His Majesty to ensure that modernization and the adoption of western technologies and ideas occur without diminishing social cohesion or any loss of cultural identity. In this respect Oman stands out amongst emerging nations in that the preservation of cultural heritage has been recognized as a high priority. Indeed, since the mid-1990s Oman arguably has had the most well-developed policy framework and legislation for the preservation of cultural heritage preservation in the Arab world. The importance accorded the preservation of cultural heritage in Oman‘s national development nonetheless raises interesting and significant questions, notably about intangible cultural heritage elements such as vocal heritage. Archaeological and architectural heritage is relatively unaffected by cultural change compared to the mutability of song, dance and other performative modes of cultural expression. Thinking about its preservation in times of rapid economic and social change raises numerous questions. What, for example, has been the impact been of state sponsorship of the performance of traditional genres of song? How has the establishment of national cultural institutions and performance venues influenced the performance and possibly the meanings and values of vocal heritage? And what are the implications of current state policies and strategies for the future of this heritage? This thesis investigates these issues and related questions, largely through surveying and assessing the views of practitioners of Omani traditional music and vocal heritage, and those of key figures in Omani cultural institutions, heritage experts and government officials charged with the management and ongoing development of national cultural policy. Finally, the thesis considers the implications of the emergence of networked digital communications for Omani intangible cultural heritage. When His Majesty Sultan Qaboos declared 1994 a year of (Amoal-Turāth) of Omani National Heritage the World -Wide-Web was beginning its explosive transformative development of human communication. Today the Web offers a rich variety of techniques for preserving and presenting intangible cultural heritage to potentially global audiences. However, it presents challenges as well as opportunities that will be discussed in the concluding part of this thesis. Moreover, this will be done with the aim of identifying how digital media can best serve the aspirations of the Omani people to enjoy the benefits of both global modernity and the richness of their cultural heritage.

By virtue of its geographical location on the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman has lain at the intersection of networks of trade and exchange between Asia, eastern Africa and Europe since antiquity. This has given Oman a rich archeological and architectural heritage. However, what is less...