Oman: The Modernization Of The Sultanate (routledge Library Editions: The Gulf) (volume 14)

Until the 1970s Oman was an isolated, almost medieval kingdom, virtually unknown to the outside world. The 1970 palace coup that brought Sultan Qaboos b. Sa'id Al-Sa'id to power also brought Oman into the twentieth century. Development programmes made modernization a rapid process, and Oman's location at the entrance to the Straits of Hormuz gave the country an increasing importance to US security interests in the Gulf region. Yet despite modernization, Oman remains an unknown land. This book, first published in 1987, dispels some of the mystery by focusing on the land, the people and the history. It explores the influences on events of trade, foreign involvement in Omani affairs, and Ibadism (the principal sect of Islam in Oman). It also emphasizes the role of the Sultan in contemporary Oman. The architect of Oman's ‘new age', Qaboos has overseen significant changes in the country's political system and rapid economic growth financed by oil exports. When this book was first published in 1958, Arabia was even then one of the least known corners of the globe. Foreigners were strictly forbidden from entering. To Hans Helfritz the only hope of seeing the forbidden area was to make a secret journey. He decided to reach the borders of the Yemen by a wide detour through the interior, crossing a desert considered impassable. Beginning on the coast at the eastern extremity of the Gulf of Aden, he made his way through the Hadhramaut, the Rub' al Khali and the Yemen to the Red Sea, the first crossing ever of the south-western part of the peninsula This collection gathers together a wide range of titles that detail the history, politics, economics and society of the countries that make up the Gulf region. Written by acclaimed Middle Eastern, American and European scholars, RLE: The Gulf is an essential reference resource in the study of the Gulf states. This reissue (1987) focuses on the land, the people and the history of Oman. It explores the influences on events of trade, foreign involvement in Omani affairs, and Ibadism (the principal sect of Islam in Oman). It also emphasizes the role of the Sultan in contemporary Oman.