Greetings! We recently returned from a trip to Oman (country #84), where we were able to experience Muscat (the capital) and surrounding areas. Below, you will find information and photos from our trip.
Oman (oh-MAHN) is on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, which is within Western Asia. It is the “oldest continuously independent state in the Arab world.” Oman is 186,970sqmi/300,900sqkm; borders Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen; and has 62 states, which are all governed individually. Oman has a Parliament, where two people represent the big cities and one person represents small cities. The members of Parliament listen to the people, and they talk with the ministers, but ultimately, the Sultan controls everything.
The population of Oman is 4.6 million people (2.6 million of which are Omani, and the remainder are workers who moved there from other countries). Muscat (muss-kaht) is the capital city and Oman’s largest city. Oil is the biggest industry in Oman, as it makes up 60-70% of the country’s income. Education and healthcare are free in Oman, and if students do well in high school, they will be funded to study (for free) in any country. All men and women are given free land in the area where they are born so that they can be near family and can take care of their parents and older relatives when they get older. While the land is free, the individuals have to pay to have a house built, which can be expensive.
Interesting Fact: Oman is very clean, and you can be fined 50 Rials ($130USD) for littering.
Muscat is surrounded by the Al Hajar mountains on one side and the Sea of Oman on the other side. Oman had the strongest navy in the Indian Ocean in the past. The country was established before Islam, and their leader was called an Imam (which means “Islamic Leader”). They were ruled by the Portuguese, and in 1652, the Imam decided to fight the Portuguese to drive them out of Oman. The Omani Navy pushed the Portuguese to the Indian Ocean, and then followed them until they reached Africa (Zanzibar).
There was a second war in Oman, which was named after one of the mountains. The last Imam changed his title to be called a Sultan to follow international law instead of Islamic rule. The people in Nizwa did not like this, and did not want to follow it, as they wanted to follow Islamic rule. So, they chose someone in their community to be called the Imam, and went up to the mountain and a war ensued from 1957-1959, with the Sultan winning the war. Nizwa became the Islamic center of Oman in 2015.
(built in 1652 after 12 years of construction, 24m high)
Oman used to be bigger (it used to include the United Arab Emirates and Qatar), and Zanzibar used to be a capital in addition to Muscat. However, the British came in and “divided and conquered,” and Zanzibar was returned to Africa in the 1950s or 1960s. This is why Zanzibar is primarily Muslim and the rest of that part of Africa is not. We were told that Oman is actually a very peaceful country, is considered to be the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” and has good relationships with all countries. They have been asked to join the war with Yemen and Iran and have refused.
Interesting Fact: Oman sent the first representatives to the newly independent United States of America in 1784.
Interesting Facts: All of the buildings in Oman (including houses) are white or a light color. They are not allowed to be dark because of the heat in the summer, as dark colors absorb heat (average high temperature in the summer is 98 degrees Fahrenheit [37 degrees Celsius], though it can get as hot as 122 degrees Fahrenheit or more [50 degrees Celsius]; the coldest it gets in Muscat during the year is 68 degrees Fahrenheit [20 degrees Celsius], though it can get to 32 degrees Fahrenheit [0 degrees Celsius] in the mountains). Also, because they are in the desert, light colors are less likely to look dirty. In addition, Omanis make efforts to keep true to their culture, including in their buildings and, as a result, they do not build skyscrapers.
Sultan History
Before 1970, Oman was a poor country, even with the oil, as the Sultan at the time did not take care of the country. The Sultan Qaboos (kah-boose) studied in the United Kingdom (UK), and when he returned, he told his father (who was Sultan at the time) that he wanted to develop the country. His father said “no,” and the Sultan Qaboos eventually put his father in “jail” in the castle. Not long after that (1975), there was a war in Salalah (in the South of Oman) over building more schools in the country. Salalah was helped by Russia and China, and The Sultan Qaboos asked the UK and Iran to help on their side. After the successful resolution of this conflict, the UK reportedly told the royal family that the Sultan Qaboos would be a better leader than his father. They released the father from the prison and made Qaboos the Sultan. The father eventually left the country for Bahrain and then the UK.
The lineage of the Sultan follows the males on the father’s side, as long as both parents are Omani, the successor is over the age of 18, and the successor is intelligent. The Sultan Qaboos never married and did not have any children to whom he could pass down the role/title. There was a law that said that in situations like this, the army would control the country for three days while the family chose someone within the family to be the Sultan. If the family did/could not choose someone, they would open a letter written by the outgoing Sultan, within which he would have designated his successor. The Sultan Qaboos died at 4am on January 10, 2020, and by 10am, the royal family decided to read the letter that was left by the Sultan Qaboos and choose the person that he had designated as his successor, which was one of his cousins. The new Sultan has adjusted the law to reflect that they will revert to the original law, which means that his son will succeed him upon his death.
Interesting Fact: In 1970, the Sultan said they should use numbers (instead of the Arabic representation of numbers), which continues today even though Arabic is their official language.
Omani Social Expectations
Omanis are expected to marry. Traditionally, parents would choose a wife for their son (arranged marriage), and the couple would meet on their wedding day. In modern day, the parents will choose a woman and she will meet the son, and then he has the option to accept their choice or ask them to find another woman for him. Some men will find their own wife. The average age for marriage for Omani men is 20-25yo, and the average cost of a wedding is $13,000USD. After they marry, they stay with the parents, and when they start to have their own children, they build a big house and have their parents move in with them.
Interesting Fact: In the Grand Mosque, there is a separate prayer area for women, which holds 750 women (vs. 6500 capacity in the men’s prayer area shown above). It is said that the women’s area is smaller because it is not necessary for women to pray in a mosque, as they are often expected to be at home taking care of the house and the children. In addition, when they are on their menstrual cycles, prayer in a mosque is forbidden.
Wadi Shab
A popular tourist attraction is Wadi Shab, which is a two-hour drive from Muscat. Once you arrive at the parking area, you embark on a 45-minute, moderate-level hike to a beautiful oasis, where you can swim to a cave that has a waterfall (we did not do the swim, but the photos look amazing!). Below are photos from Wadi Shab.
Once again, a very informative and enjoyable journey through a new country, one that I would definitely visit again, hopefully to see the beautiful landscape of Salalah.
Until next time, take care and be well…