For years, my experience with Muscat in Oman was limited to airport transits—just a glimpse of the land through glass. Back in 2016, I remember using the airport's facilities to rest during a long layover, but Oman remained a mystery to me.
Fast-forward eight years, and last month I had the opportunity to not only visit Oman but also participate in the Wiki Arabia Conference. This experience was truly eye-opening. I connected with passionate Omani citizens deeply rooted in their traditions and immensely proud of their culture and had sharing a dinner with them, during which they spoke about the ancient history of the Sultanate of Oman, their customs, and the country's journey of economic development.
This journey reminded me of a powerful lesson: when you focus on developing what you’re truly good at, you can exceed your own expectations.
At the conference, I presented on automated edits (bots) using Python frameworks for Wikimedia projects, showcasing how these tools have been used for formatting and editing on Arabic Wikisource. A special thanks to my co-host and friend Mohammad Hijjawi for collaborating with me on Arabic translations, and for helping me connect with many friends BRAHIM FARAJI, ( Both of them captured photographs too) Ali Khalil etc... from the MENA region.
Gratitude to Wikimedians_of_UAE and Jahzeen_Foundation for making this experience possible. Oman, your hospitality and stories have left a lasting impression on me!
Thank you Reda Kherbouche, Serine Ben Brahim Manavpreet Kaur,Er. Jinoy Tom Jacob,Duaa Khidir Vipin SJ,Florence Devouard.
