With poetry and chants, Omanis strive to preserve ancient language

Against the backdrop of southern Oman’s lush mountains, men in traditional attire chant ancient poems in an ancient language, fighting to keep alive a spoken tradition used by just two percent of the population.

Sitting under a tent, poet Khalid Ahmed al-Kathiri recites the verses, while men clad in robes and headdresses echo back his words in the vast expanse.

“Jibbali poetry is a means for us to preserve the language and teach it to the new generation,” Kathiri, 41, told AFP.

The overwhelming…