Oman

Abstract

The ancestors of present day Oman are believed to have arrived in two waves of migration, the first from Yemen and the second from northern Arabia. In the 9th century maritime trade flourished and Sohar became the greatest sea port in the Islamic world. In the early 16th century the Portuguese occupied Muscat. The Ya’aruba dynasty introduced a period of renaissance in Omani fortunes both at home and abroad, uniting the country and bringing prosperity; but, on the death of Sultan bin Saif II in 1718, civil war broke out over the election of his successor. Persian troops occupied Muttrah and Muscat but failed to take Sohar which was defended by Ahmad bin Said, who expelled the Persians from Oman after the civil war had ended. In 1744 the Al bu Said family assumed power and has ruled to the present day. Oman remained largely isolated from the rest of the world until 1970 when Said bin Taimur was deposed by his son Qaboos in a bloodless coup. Qaboos carried out an ambitious social and economic modernization programme in the country, while establishing broad international links and pursuing a moderate regional foreign policy. He also preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with the United Kingdom. He died in Jan. 2020 without an heir and was succeeded as Sultan by his cousin, Haitham bin Said.