20 Rials 2010, Oman
| in Krause book | Number: 46 |
| Years of issue: | 22.11.2010 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Sultan of Oman: Sultan Qaboos bin Said |
| Serie: | 40th National Day 1970-2010 |
| Specimen of: | 2010 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 167 х 76 |
| Printer: | Giesecke und Devrient GmbH, Muenchen |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
The Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Al Said and denomination 20.
Avers:
Qaboos bin Said Al Said ( قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد, born 18 November 1940, Salalah, Oman, dies 10 January 2020) was the Sultan of Oman and its Dependencies. He rose to power after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur, in a palace coup in 1970. He is the 14th-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Sa'idi dynasty.
By combining the Imamat of Oman and the Muscat Sultanate in a single state, the Sultan then, with the support of Great Britain and Shah's Iran, managed to defeat the insurgency in Dhofar. In November 1996, Sultan Qaboos signed the first Basic Law (Constitution) of Oman. 
Centered is Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, in Muscat.
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the main mosque in the Sultanate of Oman. It is in the capital city of Muscat.
In 1992 Sultan Qaboos directed that his country of Oman should have a Grand Mosque. A competition for its design took place in 1993 and after a site was chosen at Bausher construction commenced in December of 1994. Building work, which was undertaken by "Carillion Alawi LLC" took six years and seven months.
The mosque is built from 300,000 tonnes of Indian sandstone. The main musalla (prayer hall) is square (external dimensions 74.4 x 74.4 meters) with a central dome rising to a height of fifty metres above the floor. The dome and the main minaret (90 meters) and four flanking minarets (45.5 meters) are the mosque’s chief visual features. The main musalla can hold over 6,500 worshippers, while the women’s musalla can accommodate 750 worshipers. The outer paved ground can hold 8,000 worshipers and there is additional space available in the interior courtyard and the passageways, making a total capacity of up to 20,000 worshipers.
The mosque is built on a site occupying 416,000 square meters and the complex extends to cover an area of 40,000 square meters. The newly built Grand Mosque was inaugurated by Sultan of Oman on May 4, 2001.
A major feature of the design of the interior is the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. It contains, 1,700,000,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce, and brings together the classical Persian Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan design traditions. 28 colors in varying shades were used, the majority obtained from traditional vegetable dyes. It is the second largest single piece carpet in the world. This hand-woven carpet was produced by Iran Carpet Company (ICC) at the order of the Diwan of the Royal Court of Sultanate. The carpet measures over 70 × 60 meters, and covers the 4,343 square meter area of the praying hall.
The chandelier above the praying hall is 14 meters tall and was manufactured by company Faustig from Italy.
Top left are 2 parts of the image (the other 2 parts on the reverse). When viewing a banknote, the images merges into the crown.
Centered is the national emblem of Oman (شعار سلطنة عمان). It is an insignia consisting of a khanjar inside its sheath that is superimposed upon two crossed swords. Adopted in the XVIII century as the badge of the Omani royal family, it subsequently became the national emblem of the Sultanate of Oman. The emblem is featured at the canton on the Flag of Oman.
The national emblem was first designed in the mid-18th century, when it was adopted as the royal crest of the Al Said dynasty. Its usage was expanded when it subsequently became the national emblem of the sultanate. This occurred during the reign of either Faisal bin Turki (1888-1913) or Taimur bin Feisal (1913-1932). The emblem was later incorporated onto the canton of the country's national flag in 1970. Moreover, in order to distinguish "directly royal entities" and create a distinct symbol for these organizations, a crown was added to the top of the national emblem. This modified insignia is utilized on the badges of all branches of Sultan's Armed Forces, including the Royal Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Guard, and Royal Oman Police - among many others.
According to the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the khanjar - along with the two crossed swords - symbolize the historic weapons utilized by the people of Oman. They are attached together by an embellished horse-bit at the center. The khanjar itself is a national symbol of the sultanate, and is still worn by Omani men as a "ceremonial dagger" for formal occasions. It is a ceremonial dagger with its abundantly decorated sheath, traditionally made of rhinonoceros-horn, highly appreciated in the arab world and for that reason contributes substantially to the extinction of the rhinoceros in Africa.
Varifeye thread and windowed security thread with demetallized "20 RIALS". In big hologram window is the Central Bank of Oman headquarters building, in Muscat.
Denominations are in three corners, in words centered.
Revers:
Commemorative issue. It was made to commemorate the 40th National Day.
18 of November is the National day of Oman, as well as birthday of Sultan Qaboos. The National Day Is celebrated every year in honor of His Majesty's accession to the throne, in 1970.
Thats why on banknote is commemorative logo of 40th National Day.
On edges of central picture are acanthus leaves.
In top left corner is, again, the Khanjar.
Main image on banknote - Royal Opera House Muscat (دار الأوبرا السلطانية مسقط).
This Italian-style opera house is located in Shati al-Kurm, Muscat, Oman (Shati Al-Qurm, Muscat, Oman). The Royal Opera House has become a cultural landmark at the level of the entire Council of Cooperation of the Arab Gulf States (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf); It is also the first opera theater in the region and only the second, after the Opera Theater of Cairo (Cairo Opera House), located in Egypt, the Middle East (Middle East). The construction of the theater was started by order of the Royal Council of Oman (Royal Court Affairs of Oman); The project was created in full accordance with the norms and traditions of modern Omani architecture. The building is designed for simultaneous reception of 1100 visitors.
As in every world-class opera theater, in the Royal Muscat Opera House, along with the concert hall and the audience, there are also wonderful landscaped gardens, a market, a luxury restaurant and an arts center. Musical, theatrical and opera performances are staged in the theater.
The ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed al Said, has always been an ardent lover of classical music; Which is why he ordered in 2001 to erect a new opera house, capable of hosting the best theatrical companies and music bands on its stage. Representatives of the best architectural firms of the world competed for the right to develop a new theater project; In the end, the right to develop went to the British "Theater Projects Consultants". The British were entrusted not only with the development of the external structure of the building and supervision of construction; They were also handed over to internal design, landscaping, installation of decorative lighting, the creation of a kitchen system, management of the technical elements of the theater and the formation of proper acoustics.
It was important to develop an external design that would look good against the background of modern Omani buildings; Which is why the new opera could not do without colonnades, terraces and sculptural towers. After the construction was completed, the building was finished with a light stone - mined, by the way, on the nearby quarries - and completely covered with plaster. One of the main distinctive features of the project was a concert hall - its outer shell is mobile enough and can be easily rebuilt; The proscenium can be moved relatively quickly, giving the audience a more "theatrical appearance". Such a move helped to significantly improve the acoustic characteristics of the hall.
The total area of the Royal Opera House is 80,000 square meters; Almost half of them are occupied by wonderful artificial gardens. The outer facade of the three-level hall is decorated with the usual mineral for these places, known under the poetic name 'rose of the desert'; The interior will be decorated in a more traditional Arabic style. Another traditionally Arab element should be the souk, located to the south of the theater; Near it there will be restaurants, coffee shops, luxury boutiques and even art galleries.
The Royal Muscat Opera House is one of the wonders of the East, its very existence calling for a constructive dialogue between cultures, exchange and mutual enrichment. The theater is the only symbol of the Renaissance of Oman in the Arabian Peninsula, in the reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
The Royal Muscat Theater appears before the astonished traveler like a palace from the "Thousand and One Nights". Traditional Islamic architecture is adjacent to technical innovations, the program includes not only opera and ballet, but also traditional Arabic music, jazz and musicals. Despite the fact that the building is striking in size, the auditorium is small. His acoustics, comfort and technical equipment are at the level of the best theaters in the world.
In the decoration of the hall dominates the tree, which produces a special slightly sensed exotic aroma and together with the decoration creates the atmosphere of the East. In the remaining interiors of the theater, a slightly pinkish, warm shade of marble brought from Italy predominates. The foyer and stairs are amazed. Among the public there is a colorful mixture of cultures and styles: tuxedos and evening conservative, rather closed dresses for ladies are combined with national Omani dishdashas (long men's shirt) and Keffiyehs (male headdress), dress code in the theater is mandatory.
Since its inception, the theater had to become more than just an opera, rather a musical and cultural center of a broader profile. Now only the first generation of Omanis is attached to classical Western music.
Denominations in numerals are in lower left and top right corners. In words at the bottom.
Comments:
If you find my work useful I will be grateful for any help in supporting the site.
-
PayPal
-
For users of European Union banking system