Oman, West Asia

Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. It is strategically placed at the mouth of the Gulf at the south-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula.

Oman is situated in the south eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is surrounded by the sea on two sides, the Sea of Oman to the Northeast and the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Southeast. From Musandam it overlooks the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf.

Muscat is its capital and there are 4.5 million inhabitants in Oman. There are 309,500 sq km of land, and it is becoming an interesting option for tourism due to its beautiful while exotic landscapes and attention to detail in hotels and restaurants, and its overall beauty.

From the 17th Century onwards, the Omani Sultanate was an empire and competed with the Portuguese and British empires for influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

In the 19th Century, Oman's extended across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and Pakistan and down the East African coast to Zanzibar.

The British imperial development over Muscat and Oman during the 19th century led to the renewed revival of the cause of the imamate in the interior of Oman, which has appeared in cycles for more than 1,200 years. The British Political Agent, who resided in Muscat, owed the alienation of the interior of Oman to the vast influence of the British government over Muscat, which he described as being completely self-interested and without any regard to the social and political conditions of the locals.

In 1913 (20th century), Imam Salim Alkharusi instigated an anti-Muscat rebellion that lasted until 1920 when the Sultanate established peace with the Imamate by signing the Treaty of Seeb. The treaty was brokered by Britain, which had no economic interest in the interior of Oman during that point of time. The treaty granted autonomous rule to the Imamate in the interior of Oman and recognized the sovereignty of the coast of Oman, the Sultanate of Muscat. In 1920, Imam Salim Alkharusi died and Muhammad Alkhalili was elected.

On 10 January 1923, an agreement between the Sultanate and the British government was signed in which the Sultanate had to consult with the British political agent residing in Muscat and obtain the approval of the High Government of India to extract oil in the Sultanate. 

On 31 July 1928, the Red Line Agreement was signed (see left) between Anglo-Persian Company (later renamed British Petroleum), Royal Dutch/Shell, Compagnie Française des Pétroles (later renamed Total), Near East Development Corporation (later renamed ExxonMobil) and Calouste Gulbenkian (an Armenian businessman) to collectively produce oil in the post-Ottoman Empire region, which included the Arabian peninsula, with each of the four major companies holding 23.75 percent of the shares while Calouste Gulbenkian held the remaining 5 percent shares. The agreement stipulated that none of the signatories was allowed to pursue the establishment of oil concessions within the agreed-on area without including all other stakeholders. In 1929, the members of the agreement established Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC). On 13 November 1931, Sultan Taimur bin Faisal abdicated.

After deposing of his father in 1970, Sultan Qaboos opened up the country and embarked on a policy of modernization, abolishing slavery which had once been a key part of its trade.

Oil reserves in Dhofar were discovered in 1964. The main threat to Oman's territorial integrity came with the 1965-75 Dhofar Rebellion, which saw pro-Soviet secessionist forces pitted against government troops. It was finally put down with military support from the UK, Iran, Jordan and Pakistan.

Oman has not been immune from the groundswell of political dissent in the region, however. Sultan Qaboos responded to the rare outbreak of discontent in 2011, following the wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world, by promising more jobs and benefits after initially suppressing demonstrations.

However, he also determined that the center of political power, combining both executive and legislative powers, should remain his personal prerogative, closed off from any debate.

Certainly, it’s a country of intrigue which welcomes tourists, and from the picture it could be a vacation worth having!

All the best!

Prof. Carl Boniface

Vocabulary builder:

Imamate (n) = the leadership in Islam

Sultanate (n) = a state or country that is ruled by a sultan. The position of a sultan or the period of time when a sultan rules. His sultanate ended in 1923.