Oman

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Oman fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. 🇮🇷 Sasanian Empire226 to 630

   Persian kings control Oman's coast and ports such as Sohar, sharing the land uneasily with Arab tribes of the interior. Around 630 the Julanda rulers accept Islam and the Persian garrisons are expelled.

2. Abbasid Caliphate750 to 893

   The caliphs send armies against Oman's independent Ibadi imams. In 893 an Abbasid force under Muhammad ibn Nur defeats the imamate and ravages the interior, but Ibadi rule later revives.

3. 🇵🇹 Kingdom of Portugal1507 to 1698

   Afonso de Albuquerque storms Muscat and other coastal towns in 1507. The Yaruba imams take Muscat back in 1650 and carry the war to East Africa, where they capture Mombasa's Fort Jesus in 1698 after a long siege.

4. 🇮🇷 Afsharid Iran1737 to 1747

   Invited by one side in Oman's civil war, Nader Shah sends troops who hold much of the coast in the late 1730s and 1740s. Ahmad bin Said leads the resistance, expels them and founds the Al Bu Said dynasty.

5. 🇸🇦 Emirate of Diriyah1800 to 1818

   Warriors of the first Saudi state occupy the Buraimi oasis around 1800 and raid deep into Oman, forcing its rulers to pay tribute. Their power ends when an Egyptian army destroys Diriyah in 1818.

6. Imamate of Oman1913 to 1959

   Interior tribes elect an imam in 1913 and fight the sultan of Muscat. The 1920 Treaty of Seeb leaves them autonomous. A new revolt from 1954, backed by Saudi Arabia, ends with the storming of the Jebel Akhdar in 1959.

7. 🇸🇦 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia1952 to 1955

   Saudi Arabia claims the Buraimi oasis, shared by Oman and Abu Dhabi, and sends a small force there in 1952. British-led troops expel it in 1955, and Riyadh then backs the imamate's revolt against the sultan.

8. 🇾🇪 South Yemen1967 to 1982

   The Marxist state in Aden arms and shelters the Dhofar rebels, and its forces clash with Oman's along the border. After the rebels' defeat in 1976, the two neighbours normalise relations in 1982.

Today

Oman now

The inhabitants of the area of present-day Oman have long prospered from Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, the nascent sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, although the sultanate never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said overthrew his father and ruled as sultan for the next five decades.

Capital

Muscat

Government

absolute monarchy

Head of government

Haitham bin Tarik Al Said

Languages

Arabic

Area

309,500 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population5.0 million2023 · 457,000 in 1950
• Life expectancy80.0 years2023 · 29.3 years in 1950
• GDP per person$47,9882022 · $993 in 1950
• Living in cities79%2025 · 9% in 1950
• Literacy97%2022 · 3% in 1950
• Political regimeClosed autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending5.7% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.