History of Oman

Perched on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman built its wealth on frankincense, maritime trade, and shipbuilding, and at its height in the 19th century ruled an empire that stretched across the Indian Ocean to Zanzibar. Today it is known for a distinctive, independent path in Gulf politics under the long rule of Sultan Qaboos.

Timeline

• c. 2000 BCE

  The Land of Frankincense

  Ancient Oman becomes a key source of frankincense, traded across the ancient world and referenced in Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and biblical texts.

• 630 CE

  Arrival of Islam

  Oman is among the first regions to adopt Islam, later developing the distinctive Ibadi branch that still shapes Omani religious identity.

• 1507 – 1650

  Portuguese Occupation

  Portugal seizes coastal ports including Muscat to control Indian Ocean trade routes, until Omani forces expel them in 1650.

• 1698 – 1856

  The Omani Maritime Empire

  Oman builds a formidable navy and trading empire, seizing Zanzibar and swaths of the East African coast; Sultan Said bin Sultan moves his capital to Zanzibar in 1840, at the empire's height.

• 1970

  Sultan Qaboos Takes Power

  Qaboos bin Said overthrows his father in a palace coup and begins rapidly modernizing what was then one of the most isolated countries in the world, using oil revenue to build schools, hospitals, and roads.

• 1970 – 2020

  Modernization and Neutrality

  Under Qaboos, Oman becomes known for a moderate, mediating foreign policy in a turbulent region, maintaining ties with all sides in regional disputes.

Key facts

• Oman ruled an Indian Ocean empire that, at its 19th-century peak, included Zanzibar and parts of the East African coast.
• Frankincense from Oman's Dhofar region was one of the ancient world's most valuable traded goods.
• Sultan Qaboos, who reigned from 1970 to 2020, is credited with transforming Oman from an isolated country into a modern state.

Notable figures

• Sultan Qaboos bin Said — Modernizing ruler who led Oman for exactly 50 years, from 1970 to 2020.
• Ahmad bin Majid — Legendary 15th-century Omani navigator said to have guided Vasco da Gama across the Indian Ocean.