(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) If you want to understand how Oman was just after His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said came to power in 1970 then the best person to talk to is 73 year old Taghlib al Barwani a retired Ministry of Information photographer who on many occasions accompanied His Majesty the Sultan during his national and international trips.
'Looking at Oman today it is difficult for many people of this generation to believe that the country was once upon a time a place filled with hardships. I remember Oman had almost nothing when His Majesty the Sultan came to power but now the country has everything as a result of the boundless development of the last four decades' says Barwani.
Barwani who helped set up the film and photography department at the ministry in 1971 says Oman has seen much development since then and this is evident everywhere.
'There has been development of roads housing electricity water and education facilities in the country and now the entire world looks at it with admiration' he adds.
'I remember we used to take two days to travel from Muscat to Ibra or Sinaw but now it just takes around two hours. And wherever I used to go I used to take my camera and I am proud to be a photographer because this profession has helped me capture my country's progress from then till now.'
According to Barwani the country had nothing in the 1970s except a leader who had the vision to transform it.
'Major road projects have taken development to the interiors and major ongoing projects promise to make life in the sultanate even more comfortable.'
He stresses that life in Oman started improving in the 1970s.
'In general things began to get better after 1970 and now Oman gets accolades for the progress made. With literacy rates rising education has brought about a big change in society and Oman is one of the few countries in the Arab world where the government is keen to improve standards of education.
About his profession Barwani says 'I was so lucky to be part of His Majesty the Sultan's trips both in Oman and outside. I did my work with pride and I am happy to have contributed to making His Majesty the Sultan known to the people as I used to photograph him and give out his photos to the people here in Oman during his early years.'
We are lucky that development in the sultanate has been achieved without forgoing the balance of heritage and modernism says Barwani.
'Oman has taken great care to ensure that development does not to spoil its heritage and culture and this is very much admired by other nations. We should feel proud of this achievement' he says.
Although crude oil is the backbone of the economy other sectors too have shown remarkable growth. 'The country can now boast a tourism industry which is growing steadily a self-sufficient services sector a robust banking sector and great infrastructure' Barwani adds.
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