Oman is the least known and least talked about Middle Eastern country. While the media capitalizes on the turmoil and controversy of this region, from Iraq and Lebanon to Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, where does Oman come into the scene?

Prior to 1970, the ruler intentionally isolated Oman from any sort of modern development. The country was without roads, cars, and even electricity.

All this changed with the rise to power of the current ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos. In the last 40 years, he has managed to rapidly revolutionize the country. Today, it is still far from being a developed nation, but has pockets of economic and technological progress that could quite soon vie with the other oil-rich development hubs in the Middle East, namely Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Oman holds a unique position in the Arab Gulf, and in the Middle East on the whole. It is free from news-worthy political trauma, is safe and welcoming to Western visitors, and is perhaps the only Middle Eastern country without any serious stigmas.

So now that Oman does have electricity, cars, luxury costal development and oil money to burn, where will the country be in one, five, or ten years?

Since 1970, the country has been playing a serious game of catch up with the rest of the Gulf countries*: The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Nevertheless, because of its late start and rapid development, Oman straddles something of a middle ground between massive technological and economic development and determined loyalty to old ways. Caught in the middle as Oman is, the country and its people have both retained a strong sense of traditionalism and at the same time have been particularly susceptible to foreign influences.

Omanis are fiercely proud of their heritage and culture. Along with that comes a desire to stay as they once were, prior to the coup of 1970. Much of the country, outside the capital city of Muscat and a few other small cities, still lives relatively isolated and simple lives.

Despite retaining traditional Omani ways, in the past ten years women have begun wearing the abaya (long black robe worn over clothes). This Saudi-generated fashion, propagated by the most conservative streams of Islam, is ubiquitous here. Nevertheless, while elements of the social fabric have gotten more conservative in the past decade, the overall ethos of the country has become increasingly more open and modern, especially in the field of education.

The current increase in educational services in the country, particularly in higher education, offers the potential for massive change within the next five to ten years. The development of Muscat (the capital) and larger Gulf cities, hand-in-hand with the progressive policies of Sultan Qaboos, has reached a significant number of young people. If education and development continue to thrive in Oman, this upcoming generation holds the power to determine the country’s future, and thereby significantly impact the future of the entire Gulf region.

Although the country is currently something of a wild-card, the next decade will show if Oman will sink deeper into the extremely conservative strain of Islam filtering though Saudi Arabia, or if it will continue to progress as it is now towards increased international tolerance and economic development.

Keep an eye on Oman. Although today it is still unknown by most of the world, Oman is quietly yet quickly changing in a big way. While Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon regularly go up in smoke, Oman is peacefully taking steady steps towards improving the situation and status of the Middle East on the whole.

*Yemen, although a Gulf country, lacks the oil wealth and development found in its neighbors. Nevertheless, it still makes the news frequently for kidnappings, bombings, and general political instability. Additionally, it is not included in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).

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