A contract has been awarded for the main building of the RO147.8-million ($383 million) Oman Cultural Complex, which will come up over a 400,000-sq-m area in the sultanate’s capital Muscat.

The project, which is being set up in the Madinat Al Irfan district, will be completed within a three-year period, reported ONA.

Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, signed the agreement with a consortium of two companies for the landmark project, which showcases the country’s civilisation, culture, scholarly accomplishments and institutional entity.

The new cultural district brings together three major buildings around a wide, central square – the Oman National Theatre, which boasts a 1,000-seat auditorium and a 250-seat flexible auditorium; the 20,000-sq-m five-storey National Library and the National Archives partially open to the public, including nearly 20 km of archival shelf-displays.

The complex also features an exhibition centre, a cultural centre and a cinema, the report added.