November 11, 2008. Copyright 2008, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Sultan Qaboos bin Said -- the sultan of music
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, November 11, Graphic News:  In the unseemly jostle for tourist dollars that is gathering pace around the Gulf, Oman has maintained its dignity. But visitors are now pouring into the land of pristine deserts, romantic oases and nomadic Bedouins, and the man credited with ending its isolation while preserving its essential character is long-time ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Though his reign began inauspiciously enough -- with the overthrow of his father Sultan Qabus Sa'id Taymur and after years of virtual house arrest -- today Sultan Qaboos is revered for keeping his promise to spend lavishly on health and education while fostering links with other Arab states. His people enjoy some western style freedoms but his is an absolute monarchy where power is concentrated totally in its ruler's hands.

The Sultan was born in Salalah in Dhofar on November 18, 1940 and studied in India and England before graduating from Sandhurst military academy and serving briefly with the British Army. British soldiers would play a crucial role in helping him depose his father and suppress an uprising from South Yemen against the newly named Sultanate of Oman.

Sultan Qaboos, a liberal Muslim, is adored by his people, and he has repaid their devotion with the gift of a stunning Grand Mosque in the capital, Muscat, which is often described as the crowning glory of Oman. The Sultan is passionate about classical music and in 1985 the world class Royal Symphony Orchestra of Oman was created at his instigation.

A brief marriage to his cousin ended in divorce and without children, prompting speculation about the Sultan's sexuality. Of genuine concern is the lack of an heir apparent and the question as to what might happen when remaining oil reserves run out.
/ENDS