after perusal of the Law Governing the Administrative Apparatus of the State 26/75 and its amendments,
and Decrees 53/75, 12/76, and 14/76,
and based on the matters presented to Us by the Minister of National Heritage after its review by the Diwan of Legislation,
and in pursuance of public interest,
have decreed as follows
Article 1
The Ministry of National Heritage is hereby competent with the following tasks:
1. Discovering ancient Omani manuscripts in all fields of religion, science, medicine, and biographies, collecting and classifying them, and establishing public libraries to enable citizens to access these Omani publications.
2. Discovering and maintaining civilisational antiquities, supervising the work of archaeological missions, applying laws relating to the protection of antiquities, and restoring and maintaining historical forts.
3. Establishing historical museums that showcase Oman's civilisational past and its role throughout history, provided that the Omani Museum in Madinat Al-Ilam continues to be subordinate to the Ministry of Information and Culture.
4. Preserving traditional crafts, supporting and encouraging their practitioners, and establishing qualification centres and training young people in traditional crafts and industries in order to preserve and promote them as part of the cultural heritage.
5. Working on qualifying and training Omani employees working in the ministry.
6. Coordinating with the Ministry of Information and Culture in relation to communication with international bodies and organisations.
Article 2
The ministry shall exercise its mandates through its units in accordance with its Organisational Structure set out in the attached annex.
Article 3
All that is contrary to the provisions of this decree from decrees or laws preceding its issuance is hereby repealed.
Article 4
This decree must be published in the Official Gazette, and comes into force on the date of its publication.
Issued on: 17 Rabi Al-Thani 1397Corresponding to: 6 April 1977
Qaboos bin SaidSultan of Oman
Published in Official Gazette 123 issued on 16 April 1977.