sultanate · Arabia and the Gulf

Sultanate of Oman

1970 CE – present · capital Muscat

Modern Oman under Sultan Qaboos and his successor, transformed since 1970 from isolation into a stable, neutral Gulf state.

Origins

On 23 July 1970 Qaboos bin Said deposed his father Said bin Taimur, ending the isolation of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, and renamed the country the Sultanate of Oman. He invited exiles home and launched a programme of roads, schools and hospitals funded by oil.

Rule and society

Qaboos ended the Dhofar rebellion by 1975 with British, Iranian and Jordanian help and with development aid to the south. Oman is an absolute monarchy; the Basic Statute of 1996 codified the system, and an elected consultative council has limited powers. The country's Ibadi tradition, foreign policy of neutrality and role as mediator, including between Iran and the United States, set it apart in the region.

To the present

Qaboos died in January 2020 after nearly fifty years in power. His cousin Haitham bin Tariq succeeded him and introduced fiscal reforms and a named crown prince.

Lineage

Sultanate of Muscat and Oman 1856 CE – 1970 CESultanate of Oman

More states of Arabia and the Gulf →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sultanate of Oman. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sultanate-of-oman
MLA
“Sultanate of Oman.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sultanate-of-oman. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sultanate of Oman.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sultanate-of-oman.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sultanate of Oman’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sultanate-of-oman (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻