Useful Information About The Country And Its People

Oman is a country that a lot of people haven´t heard of. Therefore, I decided to share some useful information about the country and its people.

Arabic is the official language in Oman. However, English is now widely spoken as well, especially when it comes to business. More or less all signs and menus are written in both Arabic and English. The official religion is Islam, where Ibadi Muslims make up the majority. Oman´s form of government, absolute monarchy is governed by Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The currency in the country is Rial (OMR).

Omanis have a reputation for hospitality, which is well deserved, because they do welcome visitors and expatriates with open arms. “We visited Oman last year, for the first time after moving back to Norway, and by the time we had landed in Muscat we had gotten so many dinner invitations from our local friends that we sadly had to turn down a few.” This really illustrates how warm and friendly most Omanis are. Those we went to served as usual traditional Omani food, with the typical ingredients, lamb, chicken or seafood, rice, dates, yogurt and spices. For example, shuwa, lamb cooked in banana peel in the ground, and hummus, a dip made of chickpeas. It is also quite usual for Omanis to bring generous gifts when visiting friends´ houses.

Oman is also distinctive among many Gulf countries for its tolerance. It`s a Muslim country steeped in tradition; however, the culture is progressive as illustrated by a modern infrastructure and acceptance of religious differences and social habits. Take for instance, the public beaches. When we moved to Oman you did not ever see a tourist relaxing on the local beach in their bikinis. Probably because they were told not to do so, and if they did they would end up with a bunch up people staring at them because of their disrespect. Only a year and a half later, we saw five to ten tourists sunbathing on the local beach every weekend and most Omanis seemed to approve of it. I even spoke to a few of my dad´s colleagues about it and they thought it was great that Muscat keeps becoming more open to Western civilization.


The religion Islam is central in the Omani culture. Five times a day the mosques chime all over the country, calling in for prayer. However, foreigners are free to practice their own
religion; there are for example a few churches in Muscat. When it comes to alcohol, it´s served in major hotels and restaurants, because Muslims, do not drink, or, they´re not supposed to drink. Moreover, a lot of them do. Especially, when their spouses are not around.

While the Omani women living in urban areas wear their abayas and those in rural areas usually wear burkas, and men their dishdashes, expats and tourists are free to wear their own clothes. However, out of respect one should cover shoulders and knees. You won´t end up in jail for not covering those body parts, but people will stare, even more than they already do because of your western looks. Especially during the month of Ramadan it`s important to be extra observant and not drink or eat in public. Because of the fasting during this month, you could legally be arrested for doing so. Even in the car, I remember we had to bend over and hide in order to eat or drink.

Today, women in Oman are not only able to drive and go out in public unescorted, they are a significant part of Oman´s workforce, and even populate Ministry and Consultative Council positions in the government. However, it hasn´t always been such a modern and tolerant country. Under Sultan Said bin Taimur, who came to power in 1932, Oman experienced decades of international isolation, a society run along feudal lines and internal rebellion. However, after deposing his father in 1970, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said opened up the country, embarked on economic reforms and boosted spending on health, education and welfare. He has by no doubt opened up the country. His nephew was in my class at TAISM, which in itself, by sending him to an international school, shows that the Al-Said family is concerned about a continued modernization of the country, while of course at the same time preserving its remarkable past, with its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Grand Mosque, forts, sea turtles, dolphins, wadis, wahiba sands and Khaluf.