Sultan Qaboos University – Oman http://www.squ.edu.om INTRODUCTIONSultanQaboosUniversity is the realization of the promise announced by His. Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said during the 10th anniversary ofOman’s National Day in 1980.
Construction started in 1982 and the firstSultan Qaboos University students were enrolled in 1986. In accordance with the Royal Directives of His Majesty, the University commenced with five colleges; namely Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Education and Science. The College ofArts was opened in 1987,and a College of Commerce and Economics was opened in 1993.
The design and construction of the campus was carried out with great attention to the fulfillment of these objectives, with the overall appearance of the buildings carefully planned to accommodate the physical, intellectual, and spiritual needs of students, faculty and staff. The Campus is based at Al-Khod, about 45km to the west ofMuscat, near the coastal town of Seeb. On Campus facilities include shops, Bank, Post office, Staff Club, Faculty Club, sports centers and infirmaries, as well as the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.
Set in a valley beneath the stark panorama of the nearby foothills of the Oman Mountains, the University is a tasteful array of buildings designed with arches and courtyards and constructed in white and pink sandstone in a manner that reflects traditional Omani and Islamic architecture. The University was constructed on an axis in the valley with one end aligned towardMecca. This axis line starts at the gates of entrance to the University, runs through the Administration Building with its massive Omani doors, and extends uninterrupted through the middle of the academic buildings to the University Mosque at the western end of the campus.
The Mosque, with its large dome and minarets, is situated on the higher ground of the campus, and is visible from many points within and around the University. During the design period, the University landscaping was carefully considered and the original plantings have since become verdant gardens and flower beds. The plantings include species, native to Oman and other Gulf regions that grow and flourish in an arid environment. The landscaping provides shade from the sun, shelter against the wind, and splendid display of colour from flowers and foliage throughout the year. The traditional Islamic separation of the sexes is maintained in the architecture of the University. There is separate access to buildings through lower and upper walkways for men and women and separate seating in the classrooms. Altogether, the campus portrays the rich heritage ofOman and Islam while incorporating all the efficiencies of modern life. The result is an educational and living environment which is both functional and attractive.
The
SQU Carbonate Centre(Joint Virtual Reality Centre for Carbonate Studies - a Shell and SQU joint venture) together with the
Geological Society of Oman and the
Department of Earth Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), have agreed to organize an IAS sponsored Sedimentology conference early in 2005, The conference is to be held at Sultan Qaboos University, at Al Khod (Muscat area) in Oman.
Recent popular debates within the international community of sedimentologists have highlighted several topical themes that are under active study at present, in Oman. These studies are conducted by a number of local Oman based or international scientific groups. With this in mind, themes of the Muscat Sedimentology Conference include: Neoproterozoic climate change; Glacial Deposits (Precambrian and Permo-Carboniferous in particular); Microbial deposits (Precambrian, Permian-Trias, Cretaceous); Carbonate platform systems (Precambrian and Cretaceous in particular); modern and ancient aeolian systems, etc.
The magnificent outcrops of the Oman Mountains, of the Huqf and those near Salalah in the South of Oman, provide unparalleled access not only to Permian to Cretaceous Tethyan continental slope and abyssal plain deposits, and Upper Cretaceous oceanic crust - the section is complete all the way through the paleoMoho - but also to PreCambrian clastics, carbonates and glacial deposits (with "cap carbonates"); Permo-Carboniferous glacial deposits; Mesozoic (in particular Cretaceous) platform carbonates; the Permian-Triassic boundary; Post-obduction Tertiary limestones; Recent and modern carbonate-evaporite systems (Bar al Hiqman peninsular); Recent and modern dune systems (Wahiba sands, Rub al Khali).
CONFERENCE VENUE/ PRESENTATION
The 24th Meeting of the International Association of Sedimentologists will be held at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) inMuscat, Oman, on 10th-13th January 2005.
Muscat, the Capital area of the Sultanate of Oman, now extends from the town of Seeb in the North West to the fishing port of Quriyat in the SouthEast. This is a nearly 100km stretch ofOman’s 1700 km coastline, where the mountains rise to impressive summits at 3000m within a few tens of km from the seaside. The capital area is the most densely populated and developed part of Oman, with commercial centres, foreign embassies, industrial areas and government offices, hotels and resorts.
The meeting will be held in lecture theatres and conference halls at SQU.Three days of single or a limited number of parallel sessions will be programmed from 0830am to 1200 noon and 1330 pm to 1700pm. Halfday sessions will comprise a Key Note and selected talks to introduce poster sessions.
The cooler weather in January will allow pre and post conference field trips to the Huff and the desert, while still allowing trips to theOmanMountains and the southern area.
The University is located near the capital area and close to excellent international schools and unique natural recreational areas. Apart from a very attractive tax free base salary,SultanQaboosUniversity offers free furnished accommodation, excellent recreational facilities on campus, subsidized schooling for up to two children, 60 days annual leave with return air tickets, end of service gratuity, and free medical treatment in Government Hospitals in the Sultanate.
Also see: http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~ahmed-al-shaaili/qaboos.html 