Oman

Oman's history is one of the longest in Arabia, from ancient copper miners and frankincense traders, through an early and distinctive embrace of Islam, to a seafaring empire that reached deep into the Indian Ocean and the modern sultanate of the Al Said dynasty.

Oman has been settled for thousands of years, and in antiquity it was probably the land known to the Sumerians as Magan, prized as a source of copper. Its deep past survives in remarkable stone tombs and settlements scattered across the interior, among the oldest monuments in the region.

For centuries Oman grew wealthy on frankincense, the precious aromatic resin harvested from trees in the southern region of Dhofar and carried across the ancient world by camel and by ship. Ports such as Khor Rori shipped the resin to Egypt, Arabia, and Rome, making the incense trade one of the great commercial networks of antiquity.

Oman was among the earliest lands to adopt Islam, in the seventh century, in the distinctive Ibadi form that still prevails there. Powerful imams and dynasties built great mud-brick forts across the interior, while from the sixteenth century the Portuguese seized the coastal ports, holding Muscat for well over a century before the Omanis drove them out.

Having driven out the Portuguese, Oman built a formidable maritime power of its own. At its height in the nineteenth century the empire ruled Zanzibar and stretches of the East African coast, dominating Indian Ocean trade in cloves, ivory, and, darkly, enslaved people, so that for a time the sultans ruled their realm from Zanzibar rather than Muscat.

Oman is mostly desert, including a share of the vast Empty Quarter, but it is far from featureless. The dramatic Hajar Mountains rise in the north near the capital, while in the far south the region of Dhofar catches a gentle monsoon that turns its hills green each summer, a rarity in Arabia and the historic source of its frankincense trees. A long, rugged coastline, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz at its tip, has always tied Oman to the sea.

Oman is an absolute monarchy ruled by a sultan of the Al Said dynasty, which has held power since the eighteenth century. From 1970 the country was transformed by the long reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who overthrew his isolationist father and used oil wealth to build schools, hospitals, and roads while pursuing a careful neutrality that made Oman a trusted mediator in a turbulent region. On his death in 2020 he was succeeded by his cousin, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who has continued that cautious, diplomatic course while working to modernise the economy.

Oman's economy depends heavily on oil and gas, though its reserves are more modest than those of its wealthiest neighbours, which has pushed the country to diversify earlier and more urgently. It has invested in ports, tourism, and industry, drawing on its dramatic scenery, its heritage, and its strategic position at the mouth of the Gulf. Fishing along the long coast remains important, and the government has worked to create jobs for a young population in a country less awash in oil wealth than some in the region.

The flag of Oman has horizontal bands of white, red, and green, with a broad red band down the hoist bearing the national emblem in white: a curved dagger, the khanjar, crossed with two swords. The khanjar is the traditional Omani dagger, a powerful national symbol. White is associated with peace and the religious leadership of the sultan, red with battles fought in the country's history, and green with fertility and the mountains.

Oman is distinctive in the Islamic world as the main home of the Ibadi school of Islam, an early branch separate from both the Sunni and Shia majorities, known for its emphasis on tolerance and moderation. Most Omanis are Ibadi Muslims, with Sunni and Shia minorities. This tradition has helped give the country a reputation for religious tolerance and political moderation, and large communities of Hindu and Christian foreign workers worship freely.

Omani cuisine reflects the country's position at a crossroads of Arabia, Persia, India, and East Africa. A celebrated dish is shuwa, meat marinated in spices, wrapped, and slow-cooked for many hours in an underground pit oven for festive occasions. Rice flavoured with spices and served with fish or meat is everyday fare, dates are eaten daily and offered to guests, and a fragrant sweet called halwa, along with cardamom-scented coffee, is central to Omani hospitality.

Agriculture in Oman is limited by the dry climate and confined to the coastal plains, mountain valleys, and oases, watered in places by an ancient system of irrigation channels called aflaj that tap mountain water. Dates are the most important crop and a national staple, and the country also grows limes, other fruits, and vegetables. Frankincense, harvested from trees in the south, remains a historic product, while fishing along the long coast is an important livelihood.

Omani culture is proud and distinctive, shaped by the sea, the desert, and the Ibadi faith, and expressed in the wearing of the dishdasha robe and the curved khanjar dagger that is the national emblem. Society is traditional and courteous, and centuries of seafaring have left links to Persia, India, and East Africa, so that Swahili is still spoken by some families with Zanzibari roots. The capital, Muscat, set between mountains and the sea, blends whitewashed old quarters and forts with the institutions of a modern state.

Oman has a population of around five million people, of whom a substantial share are foreign workers drawn by the oil-based economy from South Asia and beyond. Omani citizens are predominantly Arab and Ibadi Muslim, though the country's seafaring history has given it links to Persia, India, and East Africa. The capital and largest city is Muscat, a historic port set between mountains and the sea.