Open cultural and educational program of the International School for young Middle Eastern researchers «Contemporary studies of the Sultanate of Oman: methods, concepts, texts»

An open cultural and educational program of the International School for Young Middle Eastern researches «Сontemporary studies of the Sultanate of Oman: methods, concepts, texts» will take place in Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg, from 25^th to 29^th of November, 2025.The program is organized by the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg in collaboration with The State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO, Khatt Films (Sultanate of Oman) and The National Records and Archives Authority of Sultanate of Oman.

Milana Iliushina

The program includes:

 

·        SCREENINGS OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS BY OMANI DIRECTORS

The screenings will take place on the base of The State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO, followed by discussions and Q&A sessions. Languages – English, Russian.

·        OPEN LECTURES BY EXPERTS ABOUT THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

 

The lectures will take place in the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg. They will focus on contemporary humanitarian studies, handwritten heritage, methods of fieldwork, as well as current trends in the cultural policy of Oman. Language – English.

 

·        DISCUSSION OF THE BOOK “SUFISM AFTER THE USSR”

 

The book will be discussed by researchers of Islam, anthropologists and experts on the post-Soviet space from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences as part of the "Reading Islam, Understanding Muslims” Colloquium. Language – Russian.

Schedule of open events:

25^th of November, 18:30 – Screening of the film “The Last Remaining” (directed by Ali Said Mohammed Al-Bimani, Hamad Khalifa Ahmed Al-Qasabi). Q&A session with directors (offline). The State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO (St Petersburg, Bolshaya Morskaya st., 35)

26^th of November, 18:00 – «The Role of the National Records and Archives Authority in Audiovisual Archiving (Film Sector)» Ali Said Mohammed Al-Bimani (Head of the Audiovisual Department, Master’s Researcher in Documentary Filmmaking, Sultanate of Oman). Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg (Griboyedov Channel Embankment, 123, Room 401)

27^th of November, 18:30 – Screening of the film “The Last Remaining” (directed by Ali Said Mohammed Al-Bimani, Hamad Khalifa Ahmed Al-Qasabi). Q&A session with directors (offline). The State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO (St Petersburg, Bolshaya Morskaya st., 35)

28^th of November, 18:00 – «AI-Driven Content Creation in the documentary film industry in Oman» Hamad Khalifa Ahmed Al-Qasabi (Documentary Film Director, M.A. in Multimedia). Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg (Griboyedov Channel Embankment, 123, Room 201)

29^th of November, 13:30 – Book Colloquium "Reading Islam, Understanding Muslims" Colloquium – discussion of the book “Sufism after the USSR”. Presenters: Sofya Ragozina (PhD in Political Science, Senior Researcher at the Central Eurasia Research Center of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and Igor Pankov (PhD in History, Senior Researcher at the Department of Anthropology of the East of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Head of the non-profit Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Projects "AL MAQAM”; one of the authors of the monograph). Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University – St Petersburg (Griboyedov Channel Embankment, 123, Room 201)

 

Event registration form: https://www.hse.ru/polls/1092917772.html

Participation in all of the events is free of charge, upon pre-registration.

We kindly invite researches, students, culture experts and everyone fond of history and contemporary development of the Sultanate of Oman and the Middle East.