Qaboos bin Said Al Said
Qaboos bin Said Al Said (18 November 1940 - 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. He was the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death, being a fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said. Qaboos was educated in Suffolk, England, as the only son of Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman. He joined the British Army after graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. When he returned to Oman in 1966, he was subjected to severe limitations imposed by his father. Qaboos succeeded to the Omani throne in 1970 after toppling his father in a coup with British help. The country was renamed the Sultanate of Oman later on.
As Sultan, Qaboos initiated a modernisation agenda that removed Oman's international isolation. During his rule, the country's living standards and development improved, slavery was abolished, the Dhofar Rebellion ended, and Oman's constitution was promulgated. Qaboos used oil resources to develop the country. Schools and hospitals were built, and a modern infrastructure was established, with hundreds of kilometers of new roads paved, a telecommunications network established, projects for a port and airport that had begun prior to his reign completed, and a second port was built, as well as electrification. The government also started looking for new water supplies and established a desalination plant, and it supported private enterprise growth, particularly in development projects. As the country's economy evolved, banks, hotels, insurance businesses, and print media began to appear.
Qaboos died in 2020 after suffering from bad health in later life. He had no offspring, hence he required the royal court to agree on a successor after his death. As a precaution, he hid a letter naming his successor in the event that an agreement could not be reached. Following his death, the royal court chose to read Qaboos' letter and appointed his cousin Haitham bin Tariq as sultan.
