Oman is a site of pre-historic human habitation, stretching back over 100,000 years. The region was impacted by powerful invaders, including other Arab tribes, Portugal and Britain. Oman, at its height, held holdings that ranged from the Persian Gulf all the way south to the island of Madagascar, some notable holdings include; the island of Zanzibar and the city of Gwadar.
Muscat is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. The metropolitan area includes six provinces, called wilayats, and spans approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi), making it the largest city by area on the Arabian Peninsula. Known since the early 1st century AD as a leading port for trade between the west and the east, Muscat was ruled successively by various indigenous tribes, as well as by foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire and the Ottoman Empire. In the 18th century, Muscat was a regional military power: its influence extended as far as East Africa and Zanzibar. As an important port town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat attracted foreign traders and settlers such as the Persians, the Balochs and the Sindhis. Beginning in 1970, after the accession of Qaboos bin Said as the Sultan of Oman, Muscat experienced rapid infrastructural development; it developed a vibrant economy and became a multi-ethnic society. The Globalization and World Cities Research Network classifies Muscat as a Beta-level Global City.
Qaboos bin Said Al Said was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said, he was the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death, having ruled for almost half a century.
Muttrah, administratively a wilayah (province), is located in the Muscat Governorate of Oman. Before the discovery of oil in Oman, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a center of commerce as one of the largest seaports of the region is located there. Other landmarks include Souq Muttrah, a traditional bazaar and Sour Al-Lawatiah, a small community of houses surrounded by an old wall. To the south lies Muscat District.
Ruwi is a commercial hub and the main business area of Muscat, the capital of Oman. Attractions in Ruwi include a variety of multi-confessional religious buildings, a National Museum, a clock tower, and a park. The population of Ruwi is 85,601.
Al-Lawatia also occasionally known as Hyderabadis are a prominent merchant tribe originally from the Sindh region and now mainly based in the province of Muscat, Oman. They are known globally as Khojas but in the Gulf are more commonly referred to as Lawatis due to them being speakers of Lawati, a Sindhi based language. There are around 30,000 Luwatis in Oman.
Nizwa is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about 140 km from the Omani capital Muscat. The population is estimated at around 83,544 people.
The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day Sultanate of Oman and parts of present-day United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, in the second half of the 19th century and 20th century. Ruled by the Busaid dynasty, it was established as a result of the partition of the Omani Empire upon the death of its last ruler Said bin Sultan. The Sultanate transitioned into a new form of government after the palace coup of 23 July 1970 in which the sultan Said bin Taimur was immediately deposed in favor of his son Qaboos bin Said.
Al-Seeb, As Seeb, As Sib, or Seeb is a coastal fishing province, located several kilometres northwest of Muscat, in northeastern Oman. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 470,878.
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The House of Al Bu Said, is the current ruling royal family of Oman, and former ruling house of the Omani Empire (1744–1856), Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1856–1970) and the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964). It was founded by Ahmad bin Said Al Busaidi in 1744 and is currently headed by Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.
The Sultan's Armed Forces Museum is a military history museum, located in the 150-year-old Bait Al Falaj Fort, once the headquarters for Sultan Said bin Sultan's Armed Forces, located on Al Mujamma Street, in the Ruwi area near Muscat, Oman. It was graciously inaugurated in 1988 by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, who was supreme commander of the Armed Forces until his death in 2020.
Port Sultan Qaboos is the largest port in Muscat, Oman. Developed initially as a part of a plan for a "Greater Muttrah" by Qaboos bin Said al Said's predecessor, Said bin Taimur, the port's construction was completed in the 1970s. The port is operated and managed by Port Services Corporation S.A.O.G.
Bawshar is one of the wilayats of Muscat, in northeastern Oman. The province borders wilayat Muttrah in the east and wilayat Seeb in the west, it overlooks the Sea of Oman to the north. It contains several archaeological sites and the Qurm Nature Reserve Ramsar site.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) (Arabic: شرطة عمان السلطانية), also known as Oman Police, is the main law and order agency for the Sultanate of Oman.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is the governmental body in the Sultanate of Oman responsible for all government financial matters.
The Omani Empire was a maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. After rising as a regional player in the 18th century, the empire at its peak in the 19th century saw its influence or control extend across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Cape Delgado. After the death of Said bin Sultan in 1856 the empire was divided between his sons into two sultanates, an African section ruled by Majid bin Said and an Asian section ruled by Thuwaini bin Said.
Sultan bin Saif bin Malik was the second of the Yaruba dynasty of Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He ruled from 1649 to 1679. He completed the work of his predecessor, Nasir bin Murshid, in driving the Portuguese out of Oman. Their last base in Muscat fell to his forces in January 1650. He built up Omani sea power, taking the fight against the Portuguese to their bases in India and East Africa. During his reign the country was peaceful and increasingly prosperous.
Old Muscat is the original historic city of Muscat, the capital of Oman, on the coast in the Gulf of Oman.
The Sultanate of Oman, established on August 9, 1970, is an absolute monarchy in which all the power resides with the sultan. The government controls what information the mass media relays, and the law prohibits any criticism of the Sultan or government.
