The longest-serving Arab ruler, Qaboos pulled Oman from poverty and brokered quiet talks between global foes.
WEB DESK
Qaboos, the longest-ruling Arab king, had been ill for some time and was believed to have been suffering from colon cancer. He had spent a week in Belgium undergoing medical treatment in early December.
Sultan Qaboos, 79, ruled Oman since overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup in 1970.
Since assuming power, Qaboos transformed Oman from an isolated backwater, with little or no infrastructure, into a modern state.
But his prolonged absence for treatment has stirred questions over succession in the country of 4.5 million people.
He had recently returned to Muscat after medical treatment in Germany and Belgium.
The Diwan of Royal Court of Oman issued an obituary
“To the people of the beloved homeland in all its districts, to the Arab and Islamic nations and to the world at large. It is with hearts filled with faith in Allah and his Providence, and with great sorrow and deep sadness— yet with complete satisfaction and absolute submission to the will of the Almighty Allah, that the Diwan of Royal Court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who passed away on Friday, the 14th of Jumada Al-Ula, the 10th of January 2020.”
The Diwan of the Royal Court declares an official mourning period of three days with the flag flown at half-mast for next forty days.
Haitham bin Tariq sworn in as new Sultan of Oman
Haitham bin Tariq sworn in as new Sultan of Oman