By: Adyan Almaashani
With a rich history that dates back to over a hundred thousand years ago, to being known as the Magan Civilization throughout history, to being the Sultanate of Oman today, Oman has a dense history. A beautiful and peaceful present that is moving on to a very bright future all thanks to Qaboos Al Salam.
The history of Oman is filled with pride. The Magan Civilization played an important role by being the ‘Land of Frankincense’, which it still is to this day. Frankincense is an aromatic resin extracted from the Boswellia Sacra tree. It was one of the main products which was exported from Oman to other civilizations, such as Egypt which the pharaohs used for embalming, and India who used it as a medication and for religious rituals. In addition, Oman is one of the oldest nations to have formed in the Arabian Peninsula and in the Middle East. The intricately detailed forts, watchtowers, and castles all around Oman are an imperishable proof of it, built from as long back as the 14th century.
His Majesty (HM) Al Sultan Qaboos bin Said, also known as ‘Qaboos Al Salam’, is considered the longest serving leader in the Middle East, having come to power in 1970. Serving 50 years as the leader of Oman placed him on the list of being the longest ruling monarchs in the world. HM Al Sultan Qaboos bin Said has lifted Oman from being a country lacking infrastructure, paved roads, educational institutions, healthcare and variety of work opportunities to being one of the largest oil producing countries in the world, with free healthcare and education systems, modern infrastructure and more. Hence, HM Al Sultan Qaboos bin Said has been given the title of the Best Leader in the World by the United Nations and an Outstanding Leadership Award winner by the World Congress on Maritime Heritage. HM also had a unique policy which he set for his country, known as the ‘No Interference Policy’ which is the reason Oman stands as one of the most peaceful countries in the world. HM also spread his peace between other countries, as the nuclear agreement between USA, UK and Iran took place in Oman with the blessings of HM Al Sultan Qaboos bin Said. This is why he was known as ‘Qaboos Al Salam’ (Al Salam means peacemaker in Arabic). However, after this influential figure recently passed away HM Al Sultan Haitham bin Tariq is ruling Oman and the country is awaiting another beautiful era.
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The beauty that lies in the nature of Oman is incomparable. Oman is the destination of geologists from all around the world as it has thousands of unique combinations of rocks. A popular destination in Oman is Salalah, which is also known as the ‘Switzerland of Arabia’ because of its everlasting beauty of luscious greens as a result of change of nature and weather during the summer months, even though it is originally a desert.
The Omani society welcomes people from all different religions and from all around the world. In Oman, the main religion practiced is Islam. The society does not differentiate between sectors (Sunni, Shia, Ibadha) and all people pray in the same mosques next to each other. This is why Omanis have a reputation of being the kindest and the friendliest people in the Arab World. As far as opportunities go, women are given the same rights and opportunities as men and with no pay gaps. Women in Oman are supported by the government to become what they aspire to be, from pilots to CEOs and much more. Oman has also dedicated the 17th of October of every year as a day to celebrate the Omani Woman for all her services, her role in the society and in the country as a whole.
Unfortunately, the majority of concerns about visiting Oman refer to reigns of terror and terrorism, however, they cannot be further away from the truth. Oman is listed as 0 in the Global Terrorism Index, compiled by the Institute of Economics and Peace. This means that the risk of terrorism is non-existent and is the only country in the Middle East to rank as such. Despite Oman being Saudi Arabia’s and UAE’s neighbour, they have a good relationship with Iran, and never wanted to participate in the Yemeni war.
Overall, Oman is a great country, filled with strong relationships across a wide number of countries. It is incredibly safe in Oman and any traveller should consider it as a destination if they want to visit the Middle East.