Oman

Lonely Planet's Oman, UAE & the Arabian Peninsula is your most up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Feel the desert's allure in Sharqiya Sands, dine at the top of the world's tallest building, and see the masterpieces of the Museum of Islamic Art -all with your trusted travel companion.

Oman, for some time, has been a nation on the move. An integral part of the GCC, it is also seeking to extend its influence further afield via the development of port infrastructure that is set to make it a firm fixture on the East-West transport route. But Oman isn't developing unguided, instead sticking faithfully to Vision 2040, a wide-ranging, ambitious blueprint that foresees the development of a diverse, sustainable economy unshackled by a reliance on oil and gas, which currently plagues much of the region. In this edition, which features interviews with top business leaders from across the economy, as well as news and analysis, we cover: diplomacy, finance, Vision 2040, 4th Industrial Revolution, digital innovation, sustainability, logistics, real estate, agribusiness, and tourism and retail.

This is the first book in more than a decade to look systematically at the foundations and practices of Oman's foreign policy and its impact on the production and distribution of oil. An expert in the history of the Sultanate of Oman, Majid Al-Khalili provides new information and a fresh analysis of the lands bordering the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Beginning with an examination the reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, as well as the sultanate's geography and how location has influenced its history, Oman's Foreign Policy: Foundation and Practice analyzes Oman's foreign relations from the early 20th century until the beginning of the 21st century, providing the background to recent events. Following an analysis of the sultanate's "renaissance" in the 1970s and 1980s, the book considers how Oman's foreign policy changed in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War. It also examines historic power rivalries in the region, as well as modern conflicts that now include Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The result is a comprehensive understanding of Oman's place in the Middle East—and its influence upon the world's changing power structure.

When Sultan Qaboos overthrew his father as ruler of the Persian Gulf state of Oman in 1970, with the help of British advisers, few expected him to survive long. He was unknown to his own population, and the country was poor and plagued by civil wars. Yet he has built his regime's legitimacy on a policy of national unification, the assimilation of all of Oman to the oil rentier state framework, and of his state to the person of the sultan, the incarnation of the country's 'renaissance'. This books seeks to understand the mechanisms of social and political perpetuation of authoritarianism in post-colonial states such as Oman. It shows how one monarchical power has built and constantly renewed its basis to meet the internal and external challenges threatening its stability. Yet this book also raises the question of what happens when one part of this model, namely an oil-rent economy, falters, with half the population under fifteen years of age and when the privileges enjoyed till recently may no longer be tenable. Valeri also sheds light on the strategies adopted and challenges faced by other Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf, Morocco and Jordan.

Praised by the Horn Book as “both quiet and exhilarating,” this novel by the acclaimed poet and National Book Award Finalist Naomi Shihab Nye follows Aref Al-Amri as he says goodbye to everything and everyone he loves in his hometown of Muscat, Oman, as his family prepares to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan. This book was awarded a 2015 Middle East Book Award, was named a Notable Book by the American Library Association, and includes extra material by the author. Aref Al-Amri does not want to leave Oman. He does not want to leave his elementary school, his friends, or his beloved grandfather, Siddi. He does not want to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his parents will go to graduate school. His mother is desperate for him to pack his suitcase, but he refuses. Finally, she calls Siddi for help. But rather than pack, Aref and Siddi go on a series of adventures. They visit the camp of a thousand stars deep in the desert, they sleep on Siddi's roof, they fish in the Gulf of Oman and dream about going to India, and they travel to the nature reserve to watch the sea turtles. At each stop, Siddi finds a small stone that he later slips into Aref's suitcase—mementos of home. Naomi Shihab Nye's warmth, attention to detail, and belief in the power of empathy and connection shines from every page. Features black-and-white spot art and decorations by Betsy Peterschmidt.

An account of the first crossing of the Omani desert by motorcar, as Jan Morris accompanied the Sultan on his royal progress, with the winds of change - oil and revolution - in the background.