Oman: History

Pre-20th-Century History

As in much of the rest of Arabia, the earliest known settlements in Oman date from the 3rd millennium BC. In that era an empire known as Magan developed along the Batinah Coast, Oman's northern coast, exploiting the rich veins of copper found in the hills around Sohar. The region's economy declined over the centuries and sometime around 563 BC northern Oman was incorporated into the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Southern Oman's Dhofar region flourished due to the presence of frankincense-producing trees. This aromatic gum was one of the ancient world's most sought-after substances and it kept southern Arabia wealthy well into the 6th century AD.

In the mid-8th century AD the tribes of northern Oman swept into the rest of Arabia, briefly conquering Medina, where they were subsequently overthrown by the Abbasids. Though defeated, Oman managed to remain relatively free of Abbasid control. Until 1506, when the Portuguese began prowling the Indian Ocean, Omani naval power had few rivals in the area. The Portuguese occupied Oman for more than a century, until they were expelled by Imam Sultan bin Saif in 1650.

This victory marked the beginning of a great expansion: by the end of the 18th century the Omanis ruled a far-flung empire. At its peak in the 19th century, under Sultan Said bin Sultan, Oman controlled both Mombasa and Zanzibar and operated trading posts even further down the African coast. It also controlled portions of the Indian subcontinent. Oman stagnated after Said's sons split his empire, a situation which the British exacerbated by pressing the sultan to end the trade in slaves and arms for which the country had long been known. This left the sultan a great deal poorer, and lack of money left the interior difficult to control.

Modern History

When Sultan Faisal bin Turki died in 1913, the interior's tribes refused to recognise his son as imam, leading to a split between the coastal area ruled by the sultan and the interior, which came to be controlled by a separate line of imams.

In 1938 a new sultan, Said bin Taimur, came to power, but it took him until 1959 to gain full control of the interior. With the discovery of oil, Said was concerned that Oman should not become a cultural casualty of the wealth it would bring. He therefore tried to isolate the country from outside influence with the result that education and health care failed to develop at the same pace as in neighbouring countries. This inevitably frustrated large sections of the population and led to widespread unrest. In 1970, Said was overthrown by his only son, Qaboos, in a bloodless palace coup aided by the British. Said spent the rest of his life living in comfortable exile in a London hotel.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said quickly set to modernising Oman's semi-feudal economy and repealing his father's oppressive social restrictions. Oman's comparatively modest oil revenues were used to build roads, hospitals and schools, which had all been in short supply. He also opened the country to tourism in 1987, which is fast becoming an important sector of the economy.

In foreign affairs, the Qaboos government has won a reputation for diplomacy and peacemaking. In 1993, Qaboos welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in a brief visit to Oman, and supported peace initiatives through the 1990s. In 1998, Oman was one of several oil-producing countries that announced slight cuts in output, touching off a rise in oil and petrol prices.

Recent History

In 1997, Omani women were given the right to vote and to stand for election to the majlis al-shura or Consultative Council. Five years later, the same right was extended to all voters above the age of 21. Several women have now been elected to the council and there are three female government ministers (of Tourism, Higher Education and Social Development). Many regard Oman's political and social reforms of the past 35 years as nothing short of miraculous and the sultan, who has been personally responsible for many of the changes, is much beloved by the Omani people.

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