At the beginning of the 21st century, mankind finds itself at a critical juncture: the prospect of either a clash of civilisations or, alternatively, an enhancement of civilisations, with the objective of fostering mutual understanding between them. The question of how to define civilisation has also become an urgent topic for discussion.

• One is the destruction of the world by hegemony under the guise of 'modern civilisation', which has brought economic and humanitarian catastrophes to humanity and promoted camps of siege, hatred and contempt, which are incompatible with each other.

• But there are also those who, with a pluralistic cultural outlook based on the idea that 'the Earth is big enough to accommodate all nations', advocate equal interaction and exchange, sharing the accumulated wealth of human civilisation and the dividends of future enrichment.

Predating the 16th century, the Middle East benefited from frequent and close maritime trade, scientific and technological exchanges with China, and acted as a major bridge between Asia and Mediterranean Europe via the maritime and continental commercial routes.

This commercial network led by the Arabs, Persians, Indian and Chinese stretched from Guangzhou in the South China Sea to the Mediterranean, via Malacca, Goa in the Indian Ocean, Sohar in the Arabian Sea and then the Red Sea.

A notable example of these exchanges is the voyage of the Arab navigator Sinbad, who set sail from Sohar (Oman) and reached Guangzhou (China) in 750 AD.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, two Arab merchants wrote a book in Arabic entitled 'Ancient Accounts of India and China (Travels to the East)', which reflects the exchange of goods, diplomatic relations and mutual cultural influences along the maritime commercial routes, reflecting the undeniable role of Arab maritime adventurers.

Research of this project will focus on the Maritime Trade Routes, which is historically significant, highly relevant and, above all, strategic in terms of education and policy-making.

Despite the existence of extant intellectual heritages in these fields, including research on the Maritime Routes between China and the Middle East by Chinese scholars, and the commercial and cultural links between the Middle East and Mediterranean Europe by European researchers, there is a paucity of research in the interactions between researchers from these three regions.

Indeed, interactions have the potential to engender synergy, thereby facilitating more efficacious problem-solving. Oman, the land of Sinbad the Sailor, is well-positioned to assume a leadership role in this initiative.