Muscat – Omani writer Dr Ghalya bint Eissa al Zubaidiyah has brought pride to the Sultanate after her collection ‘The Well of Absence (From the Tales of Water in Omani Myths)’ won the Sard Al Thahab Global Award 2025 in the Short Story for Unpublished Stories category.
The award honours storytellers and narrators across the Arab world, with a particular focus on short fiction and visual storytelling. It also seeks to spotlight Emirati folk traditions while encouraging innovative literary works that reflect shared Arab cultural values.
Dr Ghalya’s winning collection draws deeply from Omani folk and mythic heritage, reshaping inherited narratives through a contemporary lens. Blending realism with symbolic imagination, the stories explore social and cultural transformation through poetic, philosophical language that unfolds quietly, allowing meaning to accumulate rather than announce itself.
Speaking to Muscat Daily, Dr Ghalya described the recognition as “a significant milestone” in her literary journey — not merely an endorsement of a single work, but an affirmation of a sustained commitment to the short story form.
“This award recognises not just one text, but a long narrative journey shaped by patience, contemplation and a deep engagement with human questions,” she said, adding that the honour brings both confidence and responsibility, while serving as creative motivation to continue exploring the aesthetics of storytelling.
At the heart of The Well of Absence is water — not as background or setting, but as an existential presence. In Dr Ghalya’s work, water becomes a vessel of collective memory, deeply embedded in Omani consciousness. Wells, springs and falaj systems are reimagined as symbolic structures, carrying inherited myths preserved through oral storytelling and communal memory.
Rather than explicit explanation, symbolism emerges through rhythm, imagery and silence. Water speaks — and withholds — mirroring human fragility in the face of time. It carries memory, loss and continuity, shaping both social and spiritual values.
The stories are inspired by real Omani locations, including Samail, Bahla, Nizwa, Jabal Shams, Sur, Masirah, Wadi Darbat and Izki, yet the narratives move beyond geography. Each place functions as an emotional and symbolic framework. The falaj, for instance, is presented not only as an irrigation system but as a model of collective justice, while the sea in coastal towns becomes a space where adventure, absence and renewal converge.
Through this interplay of myth and reality, the collection reveals how Omanis have historically used storytelling to interpret nature, regulate relationships and reinforce ethical values such as patience, solidarity, tolerance and justice. From an anthropological perspective, water emerges as a cultural force that shapes value systems and reflects psychological and social change within communities.
Dr Ghalya believes Omani short fiction is experiencing a vibrant creative moment, marked by a growing diversity of voices, particularly among younger writers. However, she notes that critical and media engagement has yet to keep pace with this richness, underscoring the need for more specialised platforms dedicated to the genre.
Oman’s varied geography and oral traditions continue to form the hidden depth of her writing. For Dr Ghalya, place is never merely descriptive — it permeates language, character and rhythm, shaping the narrative from within. She approaches the short story as an independent artistic form, capable of capturing intense human moments while remaining part of a broader creative journey.
Currently, she is working on a new literary project centred on memory, place and transformation — one she prefers to allow to mature organically, without premature definition.
With this achievement, Dr Ghalya not only adds a prestigious international award to her career, but also strengthens the presence of contemporary Omani storytelling on the global stage — allowing water, once again, to overflow with meaning.
