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Biography of Qaboos ibn Sa'idName: Qaboos ibn Sa'idBirth Date: October 18, 1940 Death Date: N/A Place of Birth: Salalah, Oman Nationality: Omani Gender: Male Occupations: political leader Qaboos ibn Sa'id Qaboos ibn Sa'id (born 1940), ruler of Arabia's strategically important Sultanate of Oman, defeated a Communist-inspired insurgency and guided an extensive socio-economic modernization of his once backward realm.Qaboos ibn Sa'id headed Arabia's oldest reigning dynasty, the Al Bu Sa'id, rulers of Oman since 1744. Born on November 18, 1940, in Salalah, capital of Oman's southern province of Dhofar, he was the only son of Sultan Sa'id ibn Taymur, who died in 1972. His mother was daughter of a shaykh (sheik) of the Bayt Mu'ashani clan of Dhofar's dominant Qara tribe.Until the mid-19th century Oman was a leading maritime state in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf region. Then disaster overtook the country, and by the early 20th century its increasingly impotent rulers were dependent upon British support; its economy was stagnant and its society was disintegrating as many emigrated to more prosperous lands.This decline was reversed only after Sultan Qaboos' father …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…to improve Oman's prosperity through the security of the Gulf region.Unsure and nervous in 1970, Sultan Qaboos was later known for his assurance, forceful speeches, and well groomed appearance. Dignified, soldierly, and somewhat withdrawn, he combined an appreciation for music and reading with a love of fast cars, horses, and well-appointed palaces. Sultan Qaboos has presided over an era of unprecedented change, continuing the transformation of Oman begun by his father and encouraging stability in the volatile Middle East. Further Reading Outside of brief official sketches there is no biography of Sultan Qaboos. Information is scattered among accounts in newspapers such as the Times (of London), the New York Times, and the Christian Science Monitor, as well as in works detailing Oman's recent history. Noteworthy among these are John Townsend's Oman, The Making of a Modern State (1977), J.E. Peterson's Oman in the Twentieth Century (1978), and Andrew Duncan's Money Rush (1979). |