Frankincense, the aromatic sap from the frankincense tree, was a highly prized commodity in the ancient times. It was believed to have medicinal value, and was used to treat a multitude of sicknesses. To this day, frankincense is still widely used as a medicine in the Arabian Peninsula. Frankincense also was believed to ward of evil spirits. To give you an idea of how highly prized it was, in the book of Exodus in the bible, God commanded that a special incense to be used in holy ceremonies be made with frankincense. The Queen of Sheba brought frankincense to King Solomon as a gift when she went to meet him in person, and when the Magi (aka wise men) came to worship the new King of the Jews, they brought frankincense as a gift to Baby Jesus. Egyptians and Romans used it in their temples. Frankincense is still used today in many sacred ceremonies.

Frankincense only grows in a few places in the world, with the undisputed best quality coming from what today is called Southern Oman. The frankincense trade from Southern Oman dates back to 5000 BC. In the first century AD, Pilney recorded that the people of southern Arabia were the richest in the world from the frankincense trade. At the height of the trade in the 2nd century AD, no less than 3000 tons of frankincense were transported a year, both by land and by sea. One of the most powerful cities in the region, thanks to the frankincense trade, was Ubar, mentioned in the bible as a city of golden pillars. Oman also was referred to as a “mountain of copper” and had a vigorous copper trade, as well. Job, from the same named book of the bible, is believed to be from Southern Oman and is buried there. Visitors can go and visit Job’s grave near Salalah.

The country slipped into a long period of isolation that lasted until the 7th century AD, when Islam was introduced and embraced by the people. In 1154, Oman was taken over by the Bani Nabhan dynasty, which ruled for 500 years. The dynasty was fraught with civil wars and tribal factions. The Portuguese, alarmed by Oman’s naval strength and wanting to control the spice trade route, attacked Oman’s ports and by 1507, controlled Oman’s major coastal cities. The Portuguese never ventured to try to conquer areas beyond those few cities. In 1624, the Ya’aruba dynasty replaced the Bani Nabhan dynasty, and the new rulers were able to wrest control of the occupied cities back from the Portuguese.

By 1650, Oman became settled, unified, wealthy and culturally accomplished, with influence extending as far as Asia and Africa. By the 19th century, under Said bin Sultan, they controlled strategic parts of the African coast, as well as parts of India and Pakistan. When the sultan died, his empire was divided between his two sons. One got the African colonies, the other the mainland. Since most of the wealth was coming from the colonies, the mainland stagnated economically.

In the early 1900’s, religious teachers gained control of Oman’s interior away from the sultan. In 1958, new sultan Said bin Taimur started the Jebel Wars of the 1950’s. With the help of British backing, Said succeeded in reunifying the country. Said was fiercely protective of the country’s traditions, and he feared modernization would erode those traditions. He closed the country off and Oman slumped into poverty. Meanwhile, Oman’s neighbors leaped forward into enviable modern states. By the late 1960’s a rebellion broke out across the country. In 1970, the Sultan’s son, Qaboos, staged a coup and took the throne from his father.

Qaboos is still currently on the throne and is loved and revered by his people for ushering in a “renaissance”. When he took the throne, there were only two primary schools in the country, with no secondary education. There were two hospitals run by American missions. There was 10 kilometers of paved road, and many villages had no roads at all. Now there are well run hospitals, schools, universities, a vast network of roads (many paved), and electricity to even the most remote villages. Qaboos is internationally respected and has also won awards for helping to maintain the stability of the Middle East thanks to his peacemaking efforts.

Oman is located in the southwest portion of the Arabian Peninsula, with a little bit of the country on the Persian Gulf and most of it along the Indian Ocean. It has 3.5 million people, 2.5 mil Omani’s and the rest of other nationalities. The Sultan is the ultimate authority on all matters. In January 1992, a small step was made towards democracy, with the advent of an elected Consultative Council to help participate in government. Oman is a Muslim nation, with 75% of the people following Ibadi, a sect that eschews decadence of any kind. Expats are allowed to practice their own religions. Ibadi is a very different sect from the fundamentally extreme Wahhabi sect practiced by their neighbors in Saudi Arabia. [85]