OMAN – An Overview

Introduction
•  Oman lies in Arab peninsula.
•  Neighbor of Saudi Arabia, UAE and
Yemen.
•  Muslim Dominating country.
•  Oman is 4 hours ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT +4) and 1hrs 30 mins
behind Indian Clock.
 HISTORY
Occupied by Portugal in 1508 and Turkey in 1659, Oman came under
Ahmad ibn Said of Yemen, founder of the present royal line, in 1741. It has
had close ties with Britain since the 19th cent. Qabus bin Said overthrew the
strict regime of his father, Sultan Said bin Timur, in 1970, instituted a
program of liberalization and modernization, and put down (1975) leftist
guerrilla forces operating in Dhofar prov., in the south.

In 1980 the U.S. obtained the use of ports and airfields in Oman in
exchange for economic and military aid. In 1981 Oman joined other Arab
Persian Gulf nations in founding the Gulf Cooperation Council. The country
opened its bases to international coalition forces against Iraq in the 1991
Persian Gulf War and to U.S. forces mounting strikes against Afghanistan
and Osama bin Laden in 2001. In 1996 the sultan announced a new basic
law that provided for a legislature with limited powers and guaranteed basic
civil liberties for Omani citizens. In 2003 the lower house of the advisory
council was freely elected for the first time.
 Governance
•  Ruled by Sultans.
•  The ministers are
selected by Sultan.
•  Capital is Muscat
•  The current government
is named as Islamic
Absolute Monarchy.

Currently Ruling Sultan:

Qaboos bin Said Al Said
 ECONOMY
•  Main source of income comes from
exporting oil and gas.
•  GDP was $53.395 billion(2009)
•  Per capita Income was $18,013(2009)
•  Growth rate is 9.2 % p.a.
•  Currency is Rial ( 1US$=0.38Rial or
1Rial=Rs. 121).
 Working Culture
•  Working hours 40-48 hours per week
•  Every Friday is non working day
•  The standard business office workweek in
Oman begins on Saturday and ends on
Wednesday.
•  19 eventual holidays per year.
 Visa and Passports

•  Passport with minimum validity of 6

months are required in order to apply for
visa.
•  Visa can also be issued after arriving in
Oman.
•  No visa related work is done on Thursday
or on eventual holidays.
 RELIGION

•  Above 95% people follows Islam.

•  Other religions includes Hindus, Buddhist,
Zoroastrians and Christians.
 DO’s and DONT’s

•  Women travelers have to follow specific dress codes. Being

an Islamic country, while traveling one should cover one's
legs and arms and women should wear a scarf around their
head. Dressing in this particular manner ensures respect
from the locals.
•  One should fix the fare before boarding the taxi.
•  Homosexuality is prohibited by law.
•  Liquor or pornography is not allowed to be brought into the
country.