Until Sultan Qaboos bin Said exiled the previous Sultan in 1970, Oman was an under-developed nation, and almost completely closed to visitors. Since that time, education, public works and tourism have taken off throughout the country.

 

Omanis are friendly people and are very helpful to tourists. In turn, tourists should respect the ways and traditions of the Omani people.

Omanis are proud of both their country's rapid progress and their heritage as one of the great sea-faring nations. The oldest known human settlement in Oman dates to the Stone Age.

 

The Omanis are generally very humble and down-to-earth people. The usual rules of respect when traveling in a Muslim country should be followed in Oman, even when locals appear to be a little less uptight than their neighbors.

Stay quiet about the sultan, who has done more to develop the nation in recent history. He is expected to be held in extreme respect.

Staring is quite common in Oman. Children, men and women are likely to stare at you simply for being a foreigner, especially if you travel off-season and in out-of-the-way places. This is not meant as an insult but shows an interest, and a friendly smile will leave the kids giggling and showing off and the adults happily trying out their few English phrases.

 

Arabic is the national language, but most Omanis will speak good to excellent English, particularly in major tourist areas and cities.

 

Outside of Muscat and Salalah, do not smile to the opposite gender, as nearly any interaction with the opposite gender can be considered flirting. The highly segregated society makes any chance people have to speak to the opposite gender to be viewed as having at least semi-sexual overtones.

 

It must be understood that under Omani law, an Omani can take or be taken to court for insulting another person, like calling them an insulting name ("donkey", "dog", "pig", "sheep" etc.). Omanis, though "humble" are extremely sensitive to anything they perceive as criticism, whether personal, national, or anything they perceive as being directed at the Gulf. Though Saudi Arabia is usually a fair target for jokes in the Arab world (especially in the Levant), Omanis don't take well to it. What Westerners would usually consider "ridiculous" levels of sensitivity, are fairly normal in Oman and are due largely to the fact that Omanis have grown up in an environment in which criticism and name calling is more or less outlawed. This is especially important to know for those who come here to teach Omanis - unlike those from the Levant and parts of north Africa, where teasing and intellectual "jousting" can be used as a form of building relationships or a sign of friendship, it is not here and Omanis do not interpret it positively, save for those who have lived in the West or have worked with Westerners for extended periods of time. It might be said that teasing in general here, whether about accents, dress, food, etc. is just a bad idea.