History of Oman
Sumerian tablets refer to a
country called Magan, a name
thought to refer to Oman’s ancient
copper mines.Mezoun is derived
from the word “muzn”,which means
abundant flowing water. The name
we call the country by today,
Oman, is believed to originate
from the Arab tribes who migrated
to its territory from the Uman
region of Yemen.
Little is known about Oman's
pre-Islamic past but it is clear
from recent archaeological
discoveries that early
civilizations existed at least
5000 years ago. The excavations
near Sohar shows that the copper
mining and smelting industry was
well developed by the year 2000BC.
Frankincense from Dhofar, which
was so important in the social
religious life of ancient peoples
also provides evidence of the
existence of an early trading
community apart from farming and
fishing settlements. The ancestors
of present day Omanis are believed
to have arrived in two waves of
migration over a number of years,
the first from Yemen and the
second from northern Arabia at a
time when various parts of the
country were occupied by the
Persians.
The call of the Prophet Mohammed
to the Omanis to become Muslims
altered the course of their
history. It was in about 630 AD
that Amr Ibn al-As arrived in Oman
bearing a letter from the Prophet
to Abd and Jaifar, the two sons of
al-Julanda, who ruled Oman
jointly. Having embraced Islam,
they were instrumental in
defeating the Persians. The early
Imamate in Oman arose out of a
vision to create the true and
ideal Muslim state. The first
Ibadhi Imam, Julanda bin Mas'ud,
was elected in 751 AD but he died
in battle and it was not until 801
AD after a period of turmoil that
Warith bin Kaab was elected. There
then followed a period of peace,
stability and prosperity lasting
more than three hundred years.
Maritime trade flourished and
Sohar became the greatest sea port
in the Islamic world. As they
traveled and traded, the Omanis
spread the message of Islam, as
well as Arab culture and language,
reaching as far east as China.
Portuguese Occupation: In the
early 16th century after the
Portuguese under Vasco de Gama had
discovered the sea route round the
Cape of Good Hope to India, they
occupied Muscat for a century and
a half in order to dominate the
trade which had until then been an
Arab Monopoly. The Portuguese were
expelled from Muscat in 1650 by
Sultan bin Saif al-Yarubi. The
Ya'aruba Dynasty: Since the
expulsion of the Portuguese no
other foreign power has ever
occupied Oman, apart from a brief
period when the Persians made a
partial occupation. The Ya'aruba
Imams introduced a period of
renaissance in Omani fortunes both
at home and abroad, uniting the
country and bringing prosperity.
It was under the Ya'aruba dynasty
that many of the imposing castles
and beautiful buildings that have
been restored recently, such as
the fort at Nizwa and the Palace
at Jabrin, were built.
By
the middle Ages, Oman had
established itself as a prosperous
seafaring nation, sending dhows
from its great port at Sohar to
trade with merchants in far flung
destinations. It seems likely that
at this time Sohar was one of the
largest and most important cities
in the Arab world.
In the early 16th century the
powerful Portuguese trading empire
sought to extend its influence and
reduce Oman’s control over the
thriving Arabian Sea and Indian
Ocean routes. Portuguese troops
invaded Oman and captured some of
the coastal areas, occupying them
for up to 150 years before being
defeated by Sultan bin Saif Al
Ya’rubi.
During the Ya’ruba period (1624 –
1744) Oman entered an era of
prosperity at home and abroad, and
many of the Sultanate’s historic
buildings and forts date from this
time. However, expansion ended
when civil war erupted between
rival Omani tribes over the
election of a new Imam. Persian
forces seized the opportunity to
invade and some coastal areas
found themselves under foreign
occupation once again.
In 1744 Ahmad bin Said an
outstanding and courageous man was
elected Imam and Al Busaidi
dynasty came into being. He faced
a number of difficulties in
reconciling the rival factions
after the civil war, but he
managed to build up the Omani navy
into a power to be reckoned with,
personally leading expeditions
against pirates and driving the
Persians out of Basra. When he
died in 1783, his son Said was
elected Imam but he was not
popular, being replaced by his son
Hamad, who had been de facto ruler
in Muscat while his father
remained in Rostaq. Hamad died
suddenly in 1792 and his uncle,
Sayyid Sultan bin Ahmed, assumed
power until his death in 1804. He
had exercised such tight control
over Oman and trade in the Gulf
that European powers dealt with
him as the effective ruler of the
country. Sayyid Sultan was
succeeded by his son, Sayyid Said
bin Sultan, who consolidated his
father's achievements at home and
abroad during his reign from
1804-1856.
It was in this period
that Oman reached its zenith as a
regional power with possessions on
both sides of the Gulf and in East
Africa. Sayyid Said concentrated
on developing his country's
economy and commerce. He made
Zanzibar his second capital and
signed agreements with the
European powers, as well as
sending a special envoy to the
United States, making Oman the
first Arab state to establish
diplomatic relations with that
country. Thereafter, however,
there followed a period of decline
and, at the time of the First
World War, Oman's share of
international commercial
activities was very limited.
Indeed, Oman remained largely
isolated from the rest of the
world until, in 1970, His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos came to power. His
Majesty's reign was the beginning
of a bright new era that renewed
Oman's historic glories and opened
a new chapter of development,
prosperity and social and economic
progress.
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