Oman’s unique story contains elements of great moral strength, courage, heroism, maritime skills, scholarship and hard work that have together molded the sultanate into its present form

By drawing our attention to the noble efforts of distinguished Omanis, the historians who provide us with a deeper understanding of the great wealth of human experience that is at the foundation of modern Oman.

Oman occupies the far south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, its geographical boundaries clearly defined by nature from earliest times.

An understanding of Oman’s place at the heart of the Middle East and its relationship with the civilizations and political entities around it is central to any explanation of the political interactions which impact on this region, both as far as internal dynamics are concerned and externally in the context of the pressure exercised by international power.

Wattia in the district of Muscat is the oldest human settlement and dates to the Stone Age before more than 10,000 years old.

Babylon and Assyria were among the first empires to control the Asian land trade from the Arabian Gulf to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Later the Persian Empire would emerge and expand to gain influence over a vast area and control the region’s trade.

Imamate reign started in Oman since 751 by electing ibn Masoud as the first imam, and lasted for four centuries ( until 1154 ).The Imamas Oman was in the Nabhan period between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries AD, attempts to revive the Imamate in Oman were renewed in the fifteenth century but these attempts were permeated.

Between 1498 to 1507, after Portugal had occupied the trading ports of East Africa along with Aden. The Portuguese stranglehold, which lasted for more than a century and a half, was to fail because of Oman’s spirited resistance, the selection of Imam Nasir bin Murshid to the Imamate in 1624 AD.

The Portuguese centers in India suffered tremendously from the Omani strikes, Portuguese and the Omanis engaged in bloody battles for the control of East Africa, all the East African shores from Mombassa up to Kilwa fell under Omani controlling 1698 AD the Omanis conquered Mombassa and then entered Pemba, Zanzibar and Patta, Mozambique was the Only country that resisted the Omani Arab fleet, and it stayed under Portuguese control until the twentieth century.

The Persian invasions were not to achieve their objective of subduing Oman in view of the valiant resistance put up by the Omanis, despite recurrent attempts in the period from 1737-1744 AD, there are many noble aspects to Oman’s resistance to the Persian invasion in that period and their ultimate victory over them at the hands of Imam Ahmed bin Said Al-Busaidi who succeeded in ousting the Persians from Oman and was elected Imam in 1744 AD,

In 1970 his Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said was Crowning Glory of Oman, starting the modern age of Oman

Fact Sheet