Qaboos bin Said

Qaboos bin Said
A photo of Qaboos aged 73
Sultan Qaboos in 2013
Sultan of Oman
Minister of Finance, Defence and Foreign Affairs
Reign23 July 1970 – 10 January 2020
Prime Minister
Tariq bin Taimur (1970–1972)
Himself (1972–2020)
PredecessorSaid bin Taimur
SuccessorHaitham bin Tariq
Prime Minister of Oman
In office
1972 – 10 January 2020
Deputy
PredecessorTariq bin Taimur
SuccessorHaitham bin Tariq
Born(1940-11-18)18 November 1940
Salalah, Muscat and Oman
(present day Dhofar Governorate, Oman)
Died10 January 2020(2020-01-10) (aged 79)
Seeb, Muscat Governorate, Oman[1]
Buried
11 January 2020[2]
Royal Cemetery, Muscat
Spouse
(m. 1976; div. 1979)
Names
Qaboos bin Said bin Taimur bin Faisal bin Turki bin Said Al Said
HouseAl Said
FatherSaid bin Taimur
MotherMazoon bint Ahmad
ReligionIbadi Islam
SignatureSignature of Sultan Qaboos

Qaboos bin Said Al Said[a] (Arabic: قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد, IPA: [qaː.buːs bin sa.ʕiːd ʔaːl sa.ʕiːd]; 18 November 1940 – 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said,[3] he was the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death,[4] having ruled for almost half a century.

The only son of Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Qaboos was educated in Suffolk, England. After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he served briefly in the British Army. He returned to Oman in 1966 and was the subject of considerable restrictions from his father. In 1970, Qaboos ascended to the Omani throne after overthrowing his father in a coup d'état, with British support. The country was subsequently renamed the Sultanate of Oman.

As sultan, Qaboos implemented a policy of modernization and ended Oman's international isolation.[5][6] His reign saw a rise in living standards and development in the country,[7] the abolition of slavery, the end of the Dhofar Rebellion, and the promulgation of Oman's constitution. Suffering from poor health in later life, Qaboos died in 2020. He had no children, so he entailed the royal court to reach consensus on a successor upon his death. As a precaution, he hid a letter which named his successor in case an agreement was not achieved. After his death the royal court decided to view Qaboos's letter and named his intended successor, his cousin Haitham bin Tariq, as sultan.[8]

  1. ^ Zacharias, Anna (11 January 2020). "Oman's long night: from rumour to reality as a nation learns of Sultan Qaboos' death". The National. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  2. ^ Liz, Sly (11 January 2020). "Oman's Sultan Qaboos is buried as his successor is named". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Qaboos bin Said". Webster's New World Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Inc. 1994. p. 694. ISBN 0-671-85017-2.
  4. ^ "Can Oman's Stability Outlive Sultan Qaboos?". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  5. ^ Message of condolence from The Queen on the passing of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, Retrieved on 15 January 2020. "He will be remembered for his wise leadership and his commitment to peace and understanding between nations and between faiths"
  6. ^ European Union. Joint Statement on passing of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. Retrieved on 22 March 2022. "Under His Majesty's leadership, Oman embarked on an unprecedented era of reforms that improved the living standards for the Omani people. His vision steered a foreign policy that placed Oman among the European Union's closest partners, in a region mired in conflict and gripped by tensions."
  7. ^ Tony Blair [@TonyBlair] (11 January 2020). "I heard the news about His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman with great sadness. He was a leader of vision and purpose who took over the leadership of his country at a difficult time and raised it to an entirely new level of development and prosperity..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Oman names culture minister as successor to Sultan Qaboos". Oman names culture minister as successor to Sultan Qaboos. Retrieved 1 September 2022.


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