Oman’s history features tribal society, the Ibāḍī imamate government, and maritime traditions. Key events include Persian colonization, which introduced the falaj irrigation system, sustaining agriculture from the 1st century CE. In 1507, the Portuguese sacked Muscat, controlling the coast until the Yaʿrubid dynasty expelled them in 1650.
Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd liberated Oman from the Persians in 1749, founding the Āl Bū Saʿīd dynasty. In 1970, Qaboos bin Said took power and modernized Oman, establishing its first official cabinet and reversing the country’s isolationist policies. Oman joined the United Nations in 1971 and the World Trade Organization in 2000, promoting economic liberalization.