Oman

POLITICS
• Oman is a unitary state and an
absolute monarchy, in which all
legislative, executive and judiciary
power ultimately rests in the hands
of the hereditary Sultan.
 Legal system
• Oman is an absolute monarchy, with the
Sultan's word having the force of law.
According to Oman's constitution, Sharia law
is one of the sources of legislation. Sharia
court departments within the civil court
system are responsible for family-law matters,
such as divorce and inheritance.
 Legal system
• The Basic Statute of the State is the cornerstone of the Omani legal
system and it operates as a constitution for the country. The Basic
Statute stipulates that the system of governance is Sultani
hereditary in the male descendants of Sayyid Turki bin Said bin
Sultan, that the Sultan not only head of state, but also the head of
government. Chief of state and government is the hereditary sultan,
Qaboos bin Said al Said, who appoints a cabinet to assist him.
Sultan Qaboos also serves as the supreme commander of the
armed forces, prime minister, and minister of defense, foreign
affairs, and finance. The Cabinet of Oman is the chief executive
body of the Sultanate of Oman. Moreover, Sultan Qaboos has only a
few family members in his cabinet and the offices they hold are
considered quite powerless. The Basic Statute was issued in the
year 1996 and has only been amended once, in 2011, as a response
to Omani protests by dismissing 12 ministers.
 Legal system
• Omani legislature is the bicameral Council of Oman,
consisting of an upper chamber, the Council of State
(Majlis ad-Dawlah) and a lower chamber, the
Consultative Council (Majlis ash-Shoura). Political
parties are banned. The upper chamber has 71
members, appointed by the Sultan from among
prominent Omanis; it has only advisory powers. The
84 members of the Consultative Council are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms, but the
Sultan makes the final selections and can negotiate
the election results. The members are appointed for
three-year terms, which may be renewed once.
 ECONOMICS

Population
• 2016 estimate - 4,424,762
• 2010 census - 2,773,479

GDP (PPP)2017
• Estimate Total $189.582 billion
• Per capita $46,475
 ECONOMICS
• Oman has a relatively diversified economy, but
remains dependent on oil exports. In
agriculture, often subsistence in its character,
produces dates, limes, grains, and vegetables,
but with less than 1% of the country
under cultivation, Oman is likely to remain a
net importer of food. Tourism is the fastest-
growing industry in Oman.
 RELIGION
• Islam – (official religion) 85.9%
• Christian 6.5%
• Hindu 5.5%
• Buddhist 0.8%
• Jewish < 0.1%
• Other 1%
• Unaffiliated 0.2%.
 SOCIETY
• Capital and largest city – Muscat

• Official language – Arabic

• Demonym – Omani
 SOCIETY
Dress
• The male national dress in Oman consists of the dishdasha, a
simple, ankle-length, collarless gown with long sleeves.
 SOCIETY
Omani men wear two types of headdress:
• the ghutra, also called “Musar” a square piece of woven wool
or cotton fabric of a single colour, decorated with various
embroidered patterns.
 SOCIETY
Omani men wear two types of headdress:
• the kummah, a cap that is the head dress worn
during leisure hours.
 SOCIETY
Dress
• Women wear hijab, and though some women cover their
faces and hands, most do not. The Sultan has forbidden the
covering of faces in public office.
 SOCIETY
Food
• Omani cuisine is diverse and has been influenced by many cultures.
Omanis usually eat their main daily meal at midday, while the
evening meal is lighter. During Ramadan, dinner is served after
the Taraweeh prayers, sometimes as late as 11 pm.
 INTELLIGENCE
• Before 1970, only three formal schools existed
in the entire country, with fewer than 1,000
students. Since Sultan Qaboos' ascension to
power in 1970, the government has given high
priority to education in order to develop a
domestic work force, which the government
considers a vital factor in the country's
economic and social progress. Today, there are
over 1,000 state schools and about 650,000
students.
 AESTHETICS
• Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the main mosque in the Sultanate of Oman. It is
in the capital city of Muscat. The mosque is built from 300,000 tonnes of Indian
sandstone. The main musalla can hold over 6,500 worshippers, while the women’s
musalla can accommodate 750 worshipers. The outer paved ground can hold
8,000 worshipers and there is additional space available in the interior courtyard
and the passageways, making a total capacity of up to 20,000 worshipers.
 AESTHETICS
• The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is Oman's premier venue for musical arts
and culture.Built on the royal orders of Sultan Qaboos of Oman, the Royal Opera
House reflects unique contemporary Omani architecture, and has a capacity to
accommodate maximum of 1,100 people. The opera house complex consists of a
concert theatre, auditorium, formal landscaped gardens, cultural market with
retail, luxury restaurants and an art centre for musical, theatrical and operatic
productions.
 AESTHETICS
• Bimmah Sinkhole is a water-filled depression, structurally a sinkhole, in the
limestone of eastern Muscat Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman. A lake of
turquoise waters, it is 50 m by 70 m wide and approximately 20 m deep. It is only
about 600 m away from the sea, between the coastal towns of Ḑibāb and Bimmah.
The sinkhole was formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to dissolution of
the underlying limestone. However, locals believe that it was created by a
meteorite, ‘Hawaiyat Najm’, which translates to ‘The Falling Star’ in Arabic, and
hence the name. To preserve the sinkhole, the local municipality developed a park,
Hawiyat Najm Park (Haweat Najm Park), around it, along with a stairway leading
down to the lake.