r/geography • u/Necessary_Wing799 Geography Enthusiast • 14d ago

Oman - a country rarely spoken about. What's happening there? Discussion

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Oman is located in a area we heat about a lot for an array of reasons - there are many famous and newsworthy spots close by from dubai to Doha to Iran and Yemen...... what goes on in Oman? Let us know how life is here and any relevant info on its current state....

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u/MysticSquiddy 14d ago

Similar to the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia in a way, just not as significant. Has its own oil exports, not to the same degree as the rest. Has decently wealthy people, not as wealthy as the rest.

Where it differs is where it spends its money. Unlike Saudi and the Gulf states, where they spend a good part of their money on post-modern architecture, Oman's infrastructure developments have a noticeably higher degree of traditional to them, mixing its past with its present.

Outside of this, Oman doesn't have a majority sector of Islam, being split about evenly between Sunni and Ibadi (which Oman has by far the highest community of).

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u/wjbc 14d ago

Oman is different from other Arab Gulf States because it maintains a good relationship with Iran. Oman has been called the Switzerland of the Middle East because it remains neutral in regional conflicts.

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u/Slimh2o 14d ago

A smart move, I'd say.....

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u/wjbc 14d ago

It’s worked well for Switzerland.

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u/Highland_doug 12d ago

I always bristle at this. What has worked well for Switzerland has been being completely surrounded by NATO states. Try being Switzerland if Switzerland has to swap locations with Estonia.

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u/IveATrennaPra 14d ago

Because of this, the former sultan was helpful to the US when negotiating the release of prisoners from Iran. Here’s a brief account from the Brookings Institute. Brookings Institute on Sultan Qaboos