In honour of Omani Women’s Day, Villa88 celebrates the women shaping the Sultanate’s creative landscape and taking its creative industries to new heights.
Every year on 17 October, Oman celebrates Omani Women’s Day, recognising the inspiring women whose contributions continue to shape the Sultanate’s past, present and future. From contemporary art and design to fashion, we spotlight the women shaping Oman’s creative landscape, bringing its rich heritage into conversation with the world and carving out new spaces for local talent to thrive.
Villa88 shares a roundup of women who are shaping Oman’s creative scene and making an impact both locally and internationally.
HH Sayyida Meyyan Al Said
Her Highness Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab Al Said is an entrepreneur and multidisciplinary creative with over a decade of experience across art, photography and design. Her artistic practice centres on surrealist photography and digital art, through which she combines images captured in different locations to create imaginative compositions inspired by nature, light and everyday life.
Beyond her artistic practice, Her Highness continues to contribute to the development of Oman’s creative landscape. As chairwoman of the Oman Design Association, she has helped establish a platform for the country’s design community, leading to a collaboration with Omran Group on the inaugural Oman Design Week in January 2025.
Amal Al Raisi
Amal Al Raisi is a designer and entrepreneur who founded her namesake fashion label in 2006. Inspired by Omani heritage and culture, she brings traditional influences to her designs.
Beyond her own brand, Amal is also working to support the growth of Oman’s fashion scene and create more opportunities for emerging talent. Through her Fashion Future Programme, she mentors young Omani women and helps them gain experience in the industry. She is also working to put Omani fashion on the international map. In January 2026, she brought Muscat Fashion Week back, creating a platform for local and regional designers to showcase their work, alongside workshops and industry discussions aimed at supporting the next generation of fashion talent.
Through these initiatives, she is championing Omani designers and contributing to the development of the country’s fashion industry, bringing its creative talent and cultural identity to a wider audience.
Alia Al Farsi
Alia Al Farsi an artist who has spent decades building a name for herself in the art world, exhibiting her work across the region and internationally. Inspired by her homeland, her work explores Omani culture, identity and womanhood, often drawing on the colours, traditions and everyday life of the Sultanate.
In 2020, Alia opened Alia Gallery in Muscat, turning her long-held dream into a reality. The gallery is a space dedicated to art and culture that gives greater exposure to Omani artists and their work. It houses a collection of her own art and offers visitors an opportunity to experience Omani art in a contemporary setting. It has also become a hub for cultural events and conversations, helping bring art closer to the local community and visitors to the country.
Jokha Alharthi
Jokha Alharthi is an Omani author who has made a name for herself and her country on the international literary scene. As the first Omani woman to have a novel translated into English and the winner of the 2019 Man Booker International Prize, she has helped put Omani literature on the global map.
Besides her award-winning novel “Celestial Bodies,” she authored multiple novels, short story collections, and children’s books. Her works explore themes of rapid political, social, and cultural transitions in Oman, confronting complex historical subjects like slavery, gender, and post-colonial evolution.
Samah Al Ansari
For Samah Al Ansari, design is a way to tell stories and explore cultural identity. The Omani illustrator and graphic designer draws inspiration from her Omani and Swahili heritage, incorporating elements of local culture into contemporary visual work. As the founder of Studio Sein, she has worked on projects that introduce Omani culture to wider audiences, including creating artwork, illustrations and product designs for the Oman Pavilion’s gift shop at Expo 2025 Osaka. Through her work, Samah is helping tell Oman’s story through design, celebrating its heritage while bringing a contemporary perspective to the country’s creative scene.
