Who will succeed Qaboos bin Said al-Said after Sultan of Oman died without an heir?
SULTAN Qaboos of Oman, the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, has today been succeeded by his cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.
Qaboos bin Said Al Said, who died aged 79, divorced from his wife in 1979 and had no children.
Who was Qaboos bin Said al-Said?
Qaboos bin Said al-Said ruled Oman was born November 18, 1940.
He attended the Royal Military Academy in England’s Sandhurst and served in the British army.
The sultan reformed a nation that had harsh laws banning electricity, radios, eyeglasses and even umbrellas when he took the throne.
Under his reign Oman became known as a welcoming tourist destination.
Qaboos tried to form strong bonds with western allies throughout his rule and Queen Elizabeth II visited him in 2010 to commemorate Oman's 40th National Day.
He is known to have had three major passions – reading, music and yachting.
His cousin, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, has been sworn in as the new sultan.
Who will succeed the Sultan of Oman?
The new sultan is known in international policy circles because of his interactions with world leaders and other royals.
For example, he greeted Prince Charles and his wife Camilla when the British royal couple arrived in Oman in 2016.
In his first address to the nation, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq pledged to maintain the Gulf state's foreign policy, which he said was built on maintaining friendly ties with all nations.
The Omani constitution says the sultan had to be a member of the royal family as well as “Muslim, mature, rational and the legitimate son of Omani Muslim parents”.
There were believed to be more than 80 eligible candidates for the throne.
What was Qaboos bin Said al-Said's cause of death?
He has travelled abroad for treatment for colon cancer at least twice since 2014 and had just returned to Muscat from hospital in Belgium.
Without mentioning a cause of death on Saturday morning state media declared a three-day period of national mourning.
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How long did the Sultan of Oman rule?
He ruled as an absolute monarch for five decades after he overthrew his father in a coup in 1970.
Oman state news agency ONA said Qaboos died after “a wise and triumphant march rich with generosity that embraced Oman and extended to the Arab, Muslim and entire world and achieved a balanced policy that the whole world respected”.