Organizational Site by the Bait Al Zubair Museum - Essay Example

This is an analysis of Bait Al Zubair Museum. It is a museum that serves as a valuable link between the past, the present and the future of the Sultanate of Oman. It is located in Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman. Having been there for placement, I will assess and analyses their performance in terms of its own mission statements and policies. The museum is one of the Oman's newest museums and has a vast collection of ancient household equipment, costumes and weapons. It is at Bait Al Zubair where the historical collection is held at in the historic city of Muscat, which has been the capital city of Oman for more than 200 years. For centuries, Muscat has been an important international post and prosperous commercial center that was a meeting place for many different cultures and nationalities. The great wealth of history and traditions can still be seen everywhere from its shore to the tops of its high and ragged mountains. Bait Al Zubair houses one of Oman's finest and most comprehensive collections of antiques from all over the Sultanate. Anyone interested in learning more about Omani culture will definitely want to add this museum to his or her itinerary. Its displays include traditional Omani weaponry, jewellery, costumes, domestic utensils and recreated urban and rural environments. There is a coffee shop and souvenir shop selling a unique range of items most of which are based on the museum collection. A library that can be used for reference only by appointment, it offers a chance for scholars and researchers to extend their knowledge of Oman. Friendly Omani guides are on hand to explain the exhibits and add a real sense of discovery to Oman's culture and traditions. Organisational/Site Assessment of Bait Al Zubair Museum When I arrived at Baiz Al Zubair Museum for the first time for placement, I was supplied a document containing an introduction to Bait Al Zubair, current roles Performed by Bait Al Zubair, my Job description, experience required, staff organization chart and general guidelines to working at Bait Al Zubair. Bait Al Zubair Museum is an exhibition of a private collection that uses the wealth of Oman's historical past to explain the collection rather than vice versa. It can be considered as the Al Zubair family's private tribute to Oman. Bait Al Zubair Museum is located in Al Saidiya Street in old Muscat. One goes through Muscat Gate and it's just after the bend on the right-hand side of the road (opposite Bait Muzna Gallery) and just before the HSBC Bank. This privately-run Museum also has a traditional Omani "town house" (tours 1730 hours daily) and a small gift/book shop. Exhibitions are sometimes held there from Saturdays to Thursdays at 0900-1300 hours and 1600-1900 hours but Closes on Fridays. Entrance fee are: RO1.000 (Foreigners); 500 baizas (Omanis) and 250 baizas (children). The Arts Advisor at Bait Al Zubair museum is a Brit called Sarah White. She studied fine arts at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of West England, Bristol and the Royal College of Art (RCA) respectively. After graduating, she worked as an artist, supporting herself through commissions, exhibitions and teaching. She also represented Britain in the Best of British Artists exhibition in Sweden as well as exhibiting in prominent London art galleries such as Flowers-East. While on visit to Oman where her father was working for a prominent family business, Sarah met Mohammad Zubair (advisor to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for Economic Planning Affairs) who requested her to catalogue the Zubair family's private collection. This led to her being involved with the inception, development and execution of the concept of the Bait Al Zubair Museum, which exhibits the collection. Muscat is the capital of Oman since 1784 and has a great deal of charm and character and offers the combination of the relaxed atmosphere of an Indian Ocean town set amongst the well ordered life of a modern oil state. The original town of Muscat forms but a fraction of the administrative area, also known to non residents as Muscat. These areas have their own identities and may be some kilometres away from Muscat itself. Oman is proud of its 6,000-year history, and proud of its traditions. Cultural displays are a regular event at Muscat's Bait Al Zubair museum, which aims to preserve traditional homes, skills, arts and crafts. Muscat was founded because of its excellent natural harbour and it is the rapidly expanding capital of Oman. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century, many buildings still date from this period. It has beautiful sandy beaches, and mountain ridges that break up the city into more human sized townships combine to make this a very unusual capital city, the streets are well laid out and driving on a par with Western Europe and the town of Muscat itself with its flamboyant palace flanked by two medieval forts that overlook the natural harbour. Muscat was once the centre of a great trading empire, ruling Zanzibar and parts of East Africa. It earned fortunes from dates, spices, copper and silver. Modern treasure hunters head straight for Muscat's hot and heady soak, one of the finest in Arabia. Bait Al Zubair continues to grow with new knowledge and acquisitions. The administrative offices have been expanded and various new and challenging projects are underway. The Collection Bait Al Zubair museum is a part of Muscat's heritage. It was a meeting place for statesmen, personalities, poets and scholars; not just after its owner became a minister and a member of the State Council in the era of Sultan Taimour Bin Faisal and then minister and advisor to Sultan Said Bin Taimour, but right from the time when he started his working career as a clerk in Sultan Faisal Bin Turki's court until he died in 1956. Most of the exhibits have come from the owner's private collection. On the outside, there is a falaj running through a full-scale Omani village and souq. On at Saidiya Street in Old Muscat, then through the gate, just past the bend in the road on the right-hand side there are exhibitors, galleries and a gift shop. As a centre of study and learning of the rich Omani cultural heritage, Bait Al Zubair conducts various public events, exhibitions, educational services, lectures, and research and documentation projects. It has a small reference library that can be used by appointment only; offering scholars and researchers a chance to extend their knowledge of Oman. They have formed a collection that includes weaponry, clothing, jewellery, household items, books, documents, photographs, paintings and maps. They are considered to have the largest and most important private collection based on traditional Omani society and its rich heritage. The collection consists of items from areas throughout Oman and spans a number of centuries. It is indeed with great pleasure and pride that they are able to display their collection and share it with their fellow Oman's, expatriates, researchers, scholars and visitors to their beloved country. In order to safe-guard their heritage through changing times, it is their duty to preserve all aspects of culture and tradition. By doing so they provide forthcoming generations the chance to observe and research them. Site Development The site was developed after Mohammad Al Zubair gave the copyright of his photographs to Bait Al Zubair Foundation llc (BAZF) in Oman. The Foundation was set up by the Al Zubair family to manage the Bait Al Zubair museum, which displays traditional ethnographic material relating to Oman's rich cultural heritage, work on cultural arts projects and develops publishing activities. BAZF then assigned Photocenter llc to develop and manage a website that would allow their images and publications to be available to a wider audience and promote Oman as a tourist destination. Photocenter llc was then established in Oman to celebrate the passion for photography, and has thereby developed into an organisation providing holistic imaging services. Pioneering as the leaders in photographic solutions for almost three decades, it is recognised as one of the oldest and most trusted 'one stop shop' for a comprehensive list of conventional and digital imaging services in Oman. The services they offered include framing canvass mounting, large format printing, portraits, photography, lamination, image restoration, and a comprehensive image gallery. Location Bait Al Zubair Museum is located outside Bab Al Kabeer (the large gate) in Muscat. 200 meters towards Al Towyan. When on gets to Oman, he finds small-scale tourist maps easily in the local bookshops and supermarkets. One can also be able to find the Apex publication, Off-road in Oman, which sets out excursions and provides sketch maps and itineraries. It is located within the winding streets of Oman's enchanting capital city of Muscat. This historic city has been an important international port, thriving commercial centre and a meeting place of many different cultures and nationalities. The museum is an integral part of Oman's heritage founded as a house in 1914 by Sheikh Al Zubair bin Ali and it was opened as a museum in 1998 by his son Mohammed Al Zubair to display and share aspects of Omani heritage through inherited and collected artefacts. Facilities at Bait Al Zubair Museum Bait Al Zubair was re-built to reflect the style of the original house and traditional Omani architectural design. Omani architecture is known for its simplicity and beauty and, elements of this have been used within the museum. The Museum renovated an Omani house dating from the 1920s that existed on the museum grounds. The house consists of two floors. The ground floor includes four main display rooms, an area for temporary exhibitions, a room for lectures, as well as an administration office, a store and maintenance workshop. The reception is located within the main entrance that resembles an old tower. A shop selling custom-made miniatures of traditional Omani items is located at the entrance. At the rear of the building there is a small coffee shop and another gate for private use. The top floor has two wide halls; one is an exhibition area for photographs and documents. The other hall is ornamented with artefacts derived from the sea and models of Omani ships used for fishing, transport, trade and deep-sea navigation. This floor also includes a reception and entertainment area, a collections room and a library containing books, documents and references. Within the grounds of Bait Al Zubair are re-creations of a traditional Omani mountain village, irrigation systems, buildings made from palm fronds and a variety of fishing boats used in Oman. There is an area for live exhibits which are used from time to time for activities such as traditional Omani dancing and handicraft demonstrations. A three-storey building is currently under construction; it will house and exhibit additional collections as well as contain a large gallery that will provide exhibition space for Omani artists, reflecting the interests of Mohammad Zubair, who, being an artist himself, has always been keen to promote heritage and the arts. They are also involved with the upcoming Shangri La's Barr Al Jissa Resort and Spa which is 20 km outside Muscat, in which they are working with established and new contemporary Omani artists, commissioning them to work on certain themes. Team work at Baiz Al Zubair Bait Al Zubair staff work as a team and they are dedicated to providing the best care and service to the visitors. They appreciate that in order to flourish and grow as a modern Omani attraction to visitors; they must understand the visitors' needs and deliver the service they require to a high quality. At Bait Al Zubair, we work as a team and each team members should always try to: achieve better results, improve the quality of their work, work faster, lower their stress levels, make fewer mistakes, develop their work satisfaction, improve their team work, improve their efficiency, ensure their effectiveness, improve their value and be happy. There is an attendance sheet on the board in the manager's office - that should be signed upon arrival and upon departure. All staffs are always reminded that they should remember that they are representing Bait Al Zubair inside and outside working time. The manager's door is always open for anyone who needs help. There are general guidelines to working effectively that is: To be really effective in our job we must master a wide range of skills and we must make the most of new opportunities and projects that will enable us to have new challenges gain more experience and become a more valuable member of the team. There are various in-house training workshops undertaken by staffs who are encouraged to be innovative and develop their knowledge and experience. Bait Al Zubair staff are also involved with many things behind the scenes - they get involved in research field trips for their own and joint projects. Bait Al Zubair has represented Oman at various local and international events. Vision and Mission Statement Their aim is not only to promote the valuable Omani heritage but to maintain, preserve and study it, so that it may benefit succeeding generations and inspire them to sustain the Islamic and Arab identity and traditions. At Baiz Al Zubair, we want to remain a popular visitor attraction, grow and expand as a museum and cultural centre, retain good staff and maintain our high reputation Since the beginning of their project, they have formed close relationship with a number of museums in the United Kingdom that have expertise in our subject and region. With the assistance of a number of researchers and experts, they we were able to do the first comprehensive study of the Omani weaponry, including swords and many different types of firearms. They have been able to establish the dates and places of manufacture of items in their collection and are encouraged to continue with their project after the collection was analysed and supported by these museums. In order to maintain Bait Al Zubair, Mohammed Al Zubair and his family have decided to bestow specific holdings to ensure a fixed income to meet all recurrent expended. They have vowed to continue supporting Bait Al Zubair as an Omani museum and cultural institution, allowing it to develop and improve and to encourage the youth to research their country's heritage and thus contribute its enrichment. To ensure that Bait Al Zubair succeeds, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said gave his support and encouragement to the project and that he also graciously presented Bait Al Zubair with a magnificent pair of old Omani cannons which will remain the most valuable pieces in the museum. According to Sarah White, artist and arts advisor to the Bait Al Zubair Arts Foundation, they are a close-knit team at the museum, proud to be contributing towards a great cause: sustaining Oman's cultural heritage. She commented that she official opening of the museum was one of the most significant moments in her life. Sarah felt that she wouldn't have been able to do what she had done with the museum if she weren't an artist. Her arts background contributed towards developing a sense of aesthetics in the museum. She believed that every exhibition is akin to staging a performance; the objects may be static but they are involved in a performance nevertheless. Those visiting the Bait Al Zubair Museum require a visa to enter Oman. The Royal Oman Police are responsible for the issue of visas to travel to Oman. To make it easier for the visitors to acquire a visa, the ROP streamlined procedures, aiming at standardizing visit visas on 7th July 2003. Labour permits and residence visas are now handled by the Ministry of Manpower. Since 23rd July 2003, the ROP has had an online enquiry service for those wishing to know the status of their visa application. Full information about visa is available at ROP website. One of Oman's finest and most comprehensive collections of antiques can be found at Bait Al Zubair. Visitors interested in learning more about Omani culture should make it a point to add this museum to their itinerary. Community Development (Education) Bait Al Zubair plays an active role within the community by providing complimentary educational services for schools, colleges and universities. It offers a unique source of knowledge, inspiration, enjoyment and information for its visitors and education is a core activity within it. Bait Al Zubair museum educators are on hand throughout the day to lead university, college and school groups (noting advanced booking are preferred) on a free guided tour of the museum in Arabic or English (for staff and students). Special worksheets are available that have been designed targeting a variety of age groups in both Arabic and English encouraging students to actively look, learn and listen. Educational outreach programmes have been formulated taking the museum out into the community. These activities include 'Hands on Heritage' workshops where students actively participate and handle museum artefacts and exclusive lectures given to special interest groups. These community events encourage cross-cultural understanding and connect interested parties enabling them to share research and exchange ideas. It also runs special 'work experience programmes' aimed at interested students who wish to pursue a career in museums or cultural organizations. This voluntary programme is free and may assist with future employment of these students and give them general knowledge of a museum in action. Students may volunteer to participate in these programs during their free time or vacations. Each applicant will be dealt with on an individual basis and a suitable program and timetable formulated accordingly. Applicants must be aged 16yrs + and have a basic knowledge of the English language. They are encouraged to become actively involved with day-to-day activities and administration. Marketing To ensure that visitors get what they want, they are led on guided tours of this historic town house - and invited to step back in time and experience history first hand. Visitors can also get a rare glimpse of photographs and prints detailing the changing face of Muscat, the capital of Oman. BAZF has published a number of books under Qasim Al Belushi who joined the Bait Al Zubair Foundation (BAZF) as Publications Administrator in 2004. In his role at BAZF publishing books on Oman's cultural heritage, history and geography, Qasim is charged with coordinating everything from production and distribution to marketing and PR. He has increased the circulation of BAZF titles, and is now working to internationalise their distribution. In May 2005, he was selected for the International Visitor Leadership Programme (Book Publishing in the United States), attending the Book Expo in New York. Recently they launched a colouring book for children (The Omani Heritage Colouring Book) which has about 55 pages full of illustrations and drawings to entertain and inspire children while they learn about their History. Bait Al Zubair is an excellent venue for a private banquet set in a traditional Omani atmosphere offering groups a private tour of the museum followed by refreshments and lunch or dinner in its beautiful gardens or renovated Omani town house. Each group is dealt with on an individual basis and this makes the visitors feels they are being appreciated. Bait Al Zubair also offers its staff specialist in-house training with courses designed to target not only their needs as museum professionals but examine the needs of its visitors. This makes them handle the visitors in a professional way hence they will come back again or even recommend about the hospitality to their friends. According to the visitors' book, it shows that visitors have continued to increase year by year. The report shows that March is the high season for BAZ because it is the time they receive a lot of tourists coming crossing from cursing ships and the weather is excellent. In this month alone they had 6058 visitors and 6494 in March 2005 and March 2006 respectively. This tread shows that this year in March had more visitors as compared to March last year. Bait Al Zubair has also been marketed further after it was featured on Arab/Gulf/European TV stations, CNN and Oman TV. It has also been filmed as a museum, acted as a set for various programmes and loaned out artefacts for props. Bait Al Zubair has published articles related to Omani heritage and its preservation in numerous local publications and newspapers. Exhibitions Bait Al Zubair has contributed to, and cooperated with, a number of local and international exhibitions organised by various Ministries and institutions. Bait Al Zubair also offers lectures from time to time that bring together interested parties and share research and exchange ideas. This year Bait Al Zubair has supported and organised events and exhibitions with Sultan Qaboos University maintaining that education is vital to any museum, and cooperation with educational institutions is therefore essential and greatly encouraged. Bait Al Zubair plays an active role within the community by providing fully complimentary educational services. These services include a free-guided tour of the museum in Arabic or English (for staff and students) and work sheets designed to encourage the students to look, learn and listen. Bait Al Zubair also takes its services out into the community by visiting schools and offering them a 'hands-on heritage work shop'. This has been popular with international schools as it encourages cross cultural understanding. BAZ also has been organising a number of exhibitions especially for charity. The exhibition is a chance for artists to get their work known to a wider audience whilst contributing to the betterment of the local community. It is also a great chance for the local community to enjoy the artistic skills on display. The most recent one was held on June 25, 2006 - The 'Art for Atta' (Art for Giving) exhibition - which was opened at Bait Al Zubair Museum under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Shihab Bin Tariq Al Said, adviser to His Majesty the Sultan. Artists who participated in this exhibition donated 50 per cent or full of the proceeds from their sales to the charity. The aim of this art exhibition was to raise funds to benefit the needy. I had a number of tasks while working at BAZF. These include welcoming the visitors and ensuring that all the records are kept up-to-date. My experience at BAZF is such a memorable and I really enjoyed every moment wile working there. Bibliography Suchy, S. (1999); 'Emotional intelligence, passion and museum leadership', Museum Management and Curatorship 18, 1: 57-71 Taylor, R. W. (1995) Fundraising for Museums and the Arts, London: Museums and Galleries Commission Teutonico, J.M & Palumbo, G (2002) Management Planning for Archaeological Sites, Los Angeles, CA: Getty Conservation Institute Theobald, M. M. (1991) Museum Store Management, Nashville, Tennessee: AltaMira Press/American Association for State and Local History Thomas, N. (ed.) (1988); The John Adair Book of Management and Leadership, London: Hawksmere Torrington, D. Weightman, J. and Johns, K. (1989) Effective Management: People and Organisation, Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall Torrington, D. and Hall, L. (1991) Personnel Management: A New Approach (2nd Edition), New York: Prentice Hall Trimarchi, M (2004) 'Regulation, Integration and Sustainability in the Cultural Sector', International Journal of Heritage Studies, 10, 5: 401-415 Tunbridge, J. E. and Ashworth, G. J. (eds) (1996) Dissonant Heritage: the Management of the Past as a Resource in Conflict, London: Wiley UNESCO 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, ICOMOS UK, Available at http://www.unesco.org/. accessed on 28/06/2006 Read More