Brief History of Oman

Brief History of Oman

Little is known about Oman's pre-Islamic past, although it appears that the country was a source of copper around 2,000 BC.

In about 630 AD, Amr Ibn al-As arrived in Oman with a letter from the Prophet Mohammed to Abd and Jaifar, the two sons of al-Julanda, who at that time ruled Oman jointly. It is said that their embracing of Islam helped them defeat the Persians.

With the arrival of the maritime trade, the Omanis helped to spread the word of Islam deep into Asia.

The Portuguese occupied Masqat in the 16th Century, but after they were expelled in 1650, only the Persians would try to settle in Oman again.

Imam Ahmed bin Said, founder of the present dynasty, expelled the Iranians in 1741, and made Masqat the capital of newly independent Masqat and Oman.

After 1861 the ruler took the title of sultan, and close ties were established with Great Britain.

Imams challenged the rule of the sultan, in the early 20th century, but the backing from Egypt and Saudi Arabia was not enough for them to overthrow him; especially when he had the support of British forces.

In house rivalry, in 1970, resulted in Qabus bin Said toppling his father, Said bin Taimur, and claiming the throne.

The new sultan changed the name of the country from Muscat and Oman to Oman, and then set about unifying the country by liberalising politics and increasing spending on development.

The prosperity that oil brought to Oman also enabled Qabus to build himself a fancy waterfront palace; in the capital, Masqat