India and Oman have agreed to cooperate in the field of Archives. As a gesture of goodwill, India has handed over a list of 70 select documents pertaining to Oman that are available in the National Archives of India

A delegation of the National Archives of India (NAI), New Delhi led by Mr Arun Singhal, Director General of Archives visited the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) of Oman on 21-22 February. The purpose of the visit was to explore the areas of bilateral cooperation in the archival field.

The delegation was shown around various sections and divisions. Exclusive presentations were given to the delegation by the incharges of various divisions of the NRAA, including the Electronic Records and Document Management Systems (EDRMS) Section, Microfilm Department, Private Record Section, Access to Record Department, Electronic Storage, and the Conservation Section. The delegation also visited the Permanent Exhibition of Records, and also the Document Destruction Lab.

In bilateral discussions with Dr Hamad Mohammed Al-Dhawyani, Chairman of Oman’s NRAA, Mr Singhal dwelt upon the historical ties between India and Oman and informed the Chairman about the existence of a large number of records pertaining to Oman in the NAI, as well as in other repositories of India.

Mr Singhal handed over the list of 70 select documents pertaining to Oman. These documents cover a period from 1793 to 1953 and deal with a wide range of subjects. Along with the list, 523 pages of copies of records were also handed over to the Chairman, NRAA, which covered several important subjects, viz.: Change of Omani Flag from red to white (1868);
Succession of Sayyid Faisal bin Turki as ruler of Oman after the death of Sultan Sayyid Turki (1888); Official Visit of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman to the Viceroy in India (1937); and The Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation between the Republic of India and the Sultan of Muscat and Oman was signed on the 15th March 1953 at Muscat. (English, Hindi, and Arabic versions).

In addition, facsimile prints of three important treaties between the two countries were also gifted to the NRAA. These were:
Treaty between the British India Government and the Sultan of Muscat (in Arabic and English), dated 5 April 1865; and
Two Treaties concluded with the Imam of Muscat: one by Mehdi Ali Khan, dated 12 October 1798, and another by Sir John Malcolm, in his capacity as Envoy of the Governor General of India to the Court of Persia, dated 18 January 1800.