sultanate of oman

government
- http://www.rca.gov.om/ royal court affairs

The Al Hajar Mountains (Arabic: جبال الحجر‎‎, stone mountains) in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian peninsula.
- Hatta Heritage Village is a reconstruction of a traditional mountain village located in Hatta, in the Al Hajar Mountains, Dubai. The mosque and houses within Hatta Heritage Village were originally constructed from materials such as mud, palm tree trunks and fronds (Barasti), reeds, and stone. The village consists of 30 buildings, many of which have interior furnishings typical of the UAE in the period prior to development in the 1960s onwards.

Sohar (Arabic: صُحار‎‎, also Romanized as Suḥār) is the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an important Islamic port town, Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor.As the largest town in the region, it has been argued that Sohar is identified with the ancient town called Omana mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History. This settlement is believed to have given Oman its name. A large majority of the people of Sohar come from the tribe known as Al-Alawi. The oldest person known to be of this tribe is Sheikh Ahmad Saeed Msallam. 
- Sohar is currently experiencing significant investment and economic shifts making it the focus of attention of many local and international investors and businessmen. This change is due to a series of investment projects and economic giant in Sohar industrial area where Port of Sohar is located. Established in 2002, the port has a strategic importance due to its nearness to the Strait of Hormuz. It is operated by Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC) and it is considered a world class port. With current investments exceeding $12 billion, it is one of the world’s largest port development projects. 
- https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21727865-other-neighbours-seek-isolate-qatar-oman-lets-vital-supplies-get THE Omani port of Sohar usually slows down during the summer. But this year it is buzzing. According to a government official, cargo volumes are up by 30% in the past few months, as more ships arrive carrying goods bound for Qatar. Such is the level of traffic that the Qatari ambassador to Oman hails the sultanate’s ports as the new gateway to his country, supplanting the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).


http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21635473-can-peaceful-and-prosperous-nation-stay-way-after-sultan

Company
- bankdhofar

people
- Qaboos bin Said Al Said (Arabic: قابوس بن سعيد آلسعيد‎, IPA: [ˈqaːbuːs bɪn ˈsaʕiːd ʔaːl ˈsaʕiːd]; born 18 November 1940)^[1] is the Sultan of Oman. He rose to power after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur, in a palace coup in 1970. He is the 14th-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Sa'id dynasty.^[2] He is the longest serving Arab leader, having held the office since 1970.Qaboos was born in Salalah in Dhofar on 18 November 1940 as an only son of Sultan Said bin Taimur and Sheikha Mazoon al-Mashani. He received his primary and secondary education at Salalah and Pune, India where he was the student of Shankar Dayal Sharma,^[4] the former President of India and was sent to a private educational establishment in England at age 16.^[5] At 20, he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After graduating from Sandhurst in September 1962, he joined the British Army and was posted to the 1st Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), serving with them in Germany for one year. He also held a staff appointment with the British Army. After his military service, Qaboos studied local government subjects in England and then completed his education with a world tour chaperoned by Leslie Chauncy. Upon his return in 1966, he was placed under virtual house arrest in the Sultan's palace in Salalah by his father. Here he was kept isolated from government affairs, except for occasional briefings by his father's personal advisers. Qaboos studied Islam and the history of his country. His personal relationships were limited to a handpicked group of palace officials who were sons of his father's advisors and a few expatriate friends such as Tim Landon. Sultan Said said that he would not allow his son to be involved with the developing planning process, and Qaboos began to make known his desire for change — which was quietly supported by his expatriate visitors.

privatisation
- https://www.ft.com/content/38d7367a-25d6-11e7-a34a-538b4cb30025 Oman is considering privatising parts of the state-owned energy infrastructure, its oil minister said, as the sultanate looked to diversify the economy and raise money amid the sustained slump in crude prices.

• https://www.ft.com/content/7b956560-cb00-11e8-9fe5-24ad351828ab Oman has launched a multi-billion-dollar privatisation process in its electricity sector, seeking to sell off strategic stakes in five transmission and distribution companies. Nama Holding, the state electricity group, hopes over the next 12 months to finalise the sale of up to 49 per cent of its shares in Oman Electricity Transmission Company, which has assets of $2.2bn, and up to 70 per cent of shares in Muscat Electricity Distribution Company, with assets of about $1bn. The process, launched in London on Monday, will be followed in 2019 with the sale of up to 70 per cent of shares in three other distribution and supply companies: Majan Electricity Distribution Company, Mazoon Electricity Distribution Company and Dhofar Power Company. The sell-off forms the latest in a series of liberalising measures in the electricity sector since reform began in 2004, opening up the sector to private participation. The five companies earmarked for privatisation have a collective asset base of about $6.5bn.

land/real estate
- The new regulations for expatriates to own properties in Oman will be announced once the subject is discussed in the Majlis Ash’shura and approved by the Cabinet, said a top official from the Ministry of Housing. Siham al Harthy, Director-General of Real Estate development, told the Observer: “We are ready from our side and we support ownership of properties by expatriates outside the Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs). The matter must go through the Majlis Ash’shura and approved by the Cabinet before we can go ahead.” According to Al Harthy, a percentage in certain mixed-use projects will be earmarked for expatriates. There will be no eligibility criteria such as the number of years an expatriate has to spend in Oman for owning a property. The new regulations will also address the concerns vis-à-vis the visa requirements. “We don’t want to introduce any half-hearted measures,” she said. She said there are 500,000 applications for land in Oman. “We hope to accommodate them through affordable housing projects in Muscat and other places, including the project announced in Barka.”http://omanobserver.om/law-allow-expats-property-awaits-approval/
- Non-Omanis or expatriates in Oman have been barred from ownership of land in some designated places. Expatriates have been barred from using the land for agricultural purposes. The royal decree 29/2018 issued recently was on the promulgation of law on prohibition of non-Omani ownership of lands and real estate in some places. It stated that the Minister of Housing will issue the bylaws, regulations and decisions necessary for the implementation of the provisions of the law attached to this Decree after coordinating with the departments concerned. Accordingly, Article 1 bans the ownership of real estate and land for non-Omanis in Musandam, Buraimi, Dhahirah, Al Wusta, Dhofar (except Salalah), Liwa, Shinas, Masirah, Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams, any mountains and islands of strategic importance that are situated near palaces, security and military apparatus and ancient archaeological lanes determined by the competent authorities.

As per the Article 2, non-Omanis will be prohibited from utilizing their lands and properties for agricultural in all governorates of the Sultanate.http://www.omanobserver.om/restrictions-on-non-omanis-owning-lands-in-some-places/

Rail
- Oman may focus on building a domestic rail network rather than connecting its railways to a regional system, because of uncertainty over when the regional project will go ahead, Transport Minister Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Futaisi said on Sunday. Oman and the five other states in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been planning to build a railway line linking the region. Tens of billions of dollars would be spent on about 2,100 kilometers (1,310 miles) of track. But technical and bureaucratic delays have pushed expected completion of the project past the original target of 2017, and low oil prices are now dragging the finances of GCC governments into deficit, prompting them to slow construction plans in some areas. This has cast further doubt on the project. Last month Etihad Rail, the state-backed firm building a railway network in the United Arab Emirates, said it had suspended the tendering process for a plan to connect track inside the UAE with the borders of Saudi Arabia and Oman.http://saudigazette.com.sa/business/oman-focuses-on-domestic-rail/

Spain
- https://www.ft.com/content/7b7b4c1a-8d72-11e7-a352-e46f43c5825d
Oman has agreed to invest up to $120m in a uranium mine in Spain, at a time when energy-rich Gulf States are looking closer at nuclear power. The sovereign wealth fund of the Sultanate of Oman has an option to acquire 37 per cent of Berkeley Energia, which is developing the Salamanca mine about three hours west of Madrid. It will also have the right to uranium supply from the mine, known as an offtake.

france
- http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/14/c_137176348.htm French energy giant Total has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oman to explore the natural gas resources in Oman, said Total in a statement on Sunday. According to the statement, Total, and global oil and gas giant Shell, will operate and develop several natural gas fields located in the Greater Barik area on onshore Block 6 in Oman.

israel
- https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/01/middleeast/israel-arab-states-intl/index.html The unannounced visit -- the first by an Israeli leader to Oman in more than 20 years -- is the clearest sign yet of the warming relations between Israel and the Arab states. Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations, but that didn't get in the way of the meeting.

iran

- relationship hkej 28jul17 shum article

China
- telecom

• http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/21/c_137760457.htm Chinese technology giant Huawei has opened its first independent store in Oman, said a company press release on Sunday. The opening of the store at the City Center Al Qurum in the capital Muscat will strengthen Huawei's established position as a leader in innovative technology and products in Oman, said the statement.

- automotive

• https://timesofoman.com/article/715045/Business/Economy/Chinese-automaker-Foton-launches-commercial-vehicles-in-Oman Entering Oman for the first time, the group, which is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles, has partnered with Gulf Great Sands LLC (GGS), a part of Bahwan International Group Holding (BIGH). Speaking to Times of Oman, Ma Canliang, Director of Foton Middle East Region, said that the range of commercial vehicles launched in Oman includes light duty trucks, pickups, mini buses, panel vans, and SUVs. “Foton is the number one commercial vehicle manufacturer in China. We started business in this region about 15 years ago and came to Oman in 2018. 

- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2015-03/03/content_19698344.htm the largest ever team of artists to attend an art fair in Oman has showcasedChina's unique cultural crafts. Deng Zhangyu reports. Traditional Chinese art and crafts such as kung fu, tea art, calligraphy, knotting and embroiderywere showcased to the Arab world when a team of 43 artists attended the monthlong MuscatFestival held at the Sultanate of Oman, a country of the Persian Gulf. Muscat Festival 2015 was held from Jan 15 to Feb 14. It is Oman's biggest annual art event andattracted more than one million visitors from around the world, especially those from nearby Arabcountries, according to the Festival committee. China Pavilion was one of the hottest attractionsin the international art zone where about 10 countries including France, Egypt and Turkey hadtheir own pavilions.