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On April 21, 2009, at 12.00, at the Green Chamber of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace, the main room of the IOM RAS, an official ceremony was held to acknowledge the donation to the IOM RAS of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman, for the purpose of converting the Palace’s former stables into storage rooms of the Institute’s academic library, the largest Orientalist library in Russia, and consisting of more than a million volumes. Before the beginning of the ceremony, the large Omani delegation headed by His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami, Secretary-General of the Sultan Qaboos Centre for Islamic Culture, was greeted by the IOM’s Head, Prof Dr I.F.Popova who made an excursion for the guests through the Institute and its manuscripts collection. And, specially for the delegation, there was organised a temporary exhibition of the most valuable Arabic manuscripts kept at the IOM. The ceremony began with a speech by His Excellency Habib al-Riami who told the IOM’s academics, authorities of the St Petersburg Scientific Center of the RAS, and journalists about multisided support by the Sultan of Oman for the studies of Arabic heritage, both inside his country and abroad, and about the activities of the Sultan Qaboos Centre for Islamic Culture. After completing his speech, he passed to the IOM’s Head, Prof Dr I.Popova a voucher for $1 mln. Then their speeches were delivered by I.Popova and Dr V.V.Okrepilov, the deputy head of the Presidium of the St Petersburg Scientific Center of the RAS, corresponding member of the RAS. Media reports on the ceremony were shown on major St Petersburg TV-channels. ФОТООТЧЕТ At the inauguration of the official ceremony: Dr V.V.Okrepilov, the deputy head of the Presidium of the St Petersburg Scientific Center of the RAS, corresponding member of the RAS (left) and His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami, Secretary-General of the Sultan Qaboos Centre for Islamic Culture  Members of the Omani Delegation  His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami, Prof Dr I.F.Popova, the IOM's Head, and Nazim Majid al-Dairawi, the Head of the Independant Russian Arabic Cultural Centre in St Petersburg  At the Green Chamber of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace  
His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami offers Prof Dr I.F.Popova the voucher for $1 mln from His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said  Prof Dr I.F.Popova shows the voucher  Prof Dr I.F.Popova thanks the Omani Delegation for the valuable gift from His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said 
Dr V.V.Okrepilov thanks His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami  On behalf of the Presidium of the St Petersburg Scientific Center of the RAS Dr V.V.Okrepilov offers His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami a memorable gift and a letter of gratitude signed by the Center’s President, acad. Zhores I. Alferov, the Nobel Prize winner in 2000.  The conclusion of the ceremony  Dr S.M.Prozorov thanks His Excellency Habib bin Mohammed al-Riami  Prof Dr I.F.Popova gives TV interview 
Photos by S.L.Shevelchinskaya TV reports (in Russian): Telesto Channel RTR Channel: NTV Channel: |
