The life and times of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimour was born in the city of Salalah, Dhofar governorate on 18 Shawwal 1359 AH (November 18, 1940 AD).
He was the 14th Sultan of Imam Ahmad bin Saeed (1744-75), who managed to extinguish the flames of strife between the tribes at that time and sow the seeds of unity between them, forming a large naval fleet. His memory is still respected and revered by Omanis after he united the country after civil wars.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos received his basic education in Oman. In September 1958, his father sent him to England to complete his studies. In 1960, he joined the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, as an officer-cadet passing out two years later.
After this, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos joined a British infantry regiment - the 1st Battalion, the Cameroonians (the Scottish Rifles), which was at that time stationed in Germany - and spent six months with them as a trainee in leadership skills.
When His Majesty Sultan Qaboos completed his military education, he returned to Britain. There, he studied local government systems and completed specialised courses in administration. His father arranged for him to tour the world for three months. In 1964, he returned and lived with his father in Salalah, where he spent most of his time improving his knowledge of Sharia’a law and the civilisation and history of his country. He also met senior Omani sheikhs, officials, and others when they visited his father, but he held no official position.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos was a keen reader and owned a lot of books and encouraged others to understand what they read and benefit from it. His interests in the science of Arabic, religion, astronomy and the environment is evident through his great support for many cultural projects locally and internationally, whether through Unesco or other regional and international organisations.