Oman's History
Sultanate of Oman - the different and real Arabia
Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world - yet the least-known - even inside the Arab world! This is even more astonishing as Oman is the only Gulf state to have had an empire. It stretched from the coast, what is now Somalia to Mozambique but also to the north east it included what is now United Arab Emirates and Baluchistan (now a part of Pakistan).
Oman was home of Sindbad the Sailor. It is the legendary land of frankincense and myrrh. For centuries, Omani Sailors ruled the Indian Ocean, trading in precious woods, ivory, gems, gold, pearls, dates, fish, limes, incense and spices. By the 8th century they were regularly venturing as far as China, transporting elephant tusks and returning with silk and porcelain and artifacts made of ivory.
Did you know that Oman's history goes back even further to 2300 BC, when it was the principle source of copper, referred to in Mesopotamian sources as ''Mayan'' (or Makkan or Majan) The German Museum of Mining in Bochum set up a five-year research project in 1977 proving that the historic Magan (Land of Copper) is identical with present-day Oman.
Oman's development into a nation of sea traders was favored by its geographical position. The country lies on the extreme eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Its coast line stretches 1500km along the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, from the Straits of Hormuz in the north to the Hadramaut Mountains on the Yemeni border in the south. This sought after and exposed geographical location, was of course, attractive to foreign invaders; the Portuguese (in the 16th and 17th century) and the Persians (in the 18th century).
The culture of present day Oman is a product of its more than 2000 year-old traditions of sea travel and foreign trade. The faces we see nowadays range from the lightest to the darkest skin shades, an eloquent testimony to the country's cosmopolitan past. The music we hear includes the sounds of African drums, Indian flutes and Scottish bagpipes. Songs and voices are heard in Arabic, Swahili and Urdu.
Their liberal attitudes have enabled the Omanis to live in peace with the people dwelling along their old trade routes and to engage with them in a profitable cultural exchange. Zanzibar was a part of the Omani empire and a long-standing commercial hub of Oman and of the slave trade out of East Africa. Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims were allowed to freely practice their religions.
Apart from the times of the present Sultan Qaboos, Oman experienced its last great period of prosperity in the middle of the 19th century during the regency of Said bin Sultan. The Europeans addressed him as ''Sultan'' out of respect. His descendants have preserved this title until now - hence the country's full name is ''Sultanate of Oman”.
After the death of Said bin Sultan his sons quarreled over the succession which weakened the country and ultimately changed its face for good. When Great Britain prohibited slavery in the mid-19th century, the Sultanate's fortunes reversed. Britain seized most of Oman's overseas possessions, and by 1900 Oman had become a different country than before. Being a de facto British protectorate Oman was split into 2 parts: a Sultanate of Muscat and Oman and a Sultanate of Zanzibar.
After many difficult years a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation was signed in 1951 by which the United Kingdom recognized the "Sultanate of Muscat and Oman" as a fully independent state. Zanzibar paid an annual subsidy to Muscat and Oman until its independence in early 1964.
Oman's economic and political situation hit rock bottom in the middle of the 20tb century under the government of Sultan Said bin Taimur (the father of the present Sultan Qaboos) when the country found itself in total isolation from the rest of the world.
It is hard to imagine from the present perspective that in 1970, there were less than 10 km of paved roads in the entire country! There was only one post office and one hospital along with 3 primary schools (only for boys) - in the entire country! The gates of Muscat were bolted at sunset. There were no streetlights in the city. No Western products were imported; there were no trousers, nor sunglasses, export trade was forbidden, the country's borders were hermetically sealed.
Most of you, I imagine, can remember in which condition their country was in the 70's and how each one of us was living a relatively comfortable and certainly free life.
On July 23rd 1970, Qaboos bin Said al Said ousted his father, Sa’id bin Taimur in a peaceful palace Coup.
AI Said has very successfully ruled as Sultan ever since. Initially he was confronted with a country plagued by epidemic diseases, illiteracy, poverty and the Dhofar war. One of the new Sultan’s first measures was to abolish many of his father's harsh restrictions, re-establish elementary freedoms, and to offer amnesty to opponents of the previous regime, many of whom returned to Oman.
Sultan Qaboos also established a modern government structure and launched a major development program to upgrade educational and health facilities, build a modern infrastructure, and develop the country's natural resources.
Sultan Qaboos has taken his country on a breathtaking journey from the Middle Ages to a modern state in just a few decades. Life has changed in every aspect and corner of the country. The Sultanate of Oman has broken out of its isolation. Sultan Qaboos, the very much respected and loved ruler of his country has been able to combine old Islamic tradition with modern attitudes in a unique way. Along with all blessings of modern life, Oman has been able to keep its truly Arabic appearance. Omanis are very polite and hospitable people, they are approachable and authentic and they prove that tradition and modernity can peacefully exist side by side!
