Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (; born 11 October 1955) is the

and Prime Minister of Oman. He acceded to the throne in January 2020 after being named successor by his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Prior to becoming Sultan, Haitham served for several decades under Sultan Qaboos in the Cabinet of Oman most notably as the Minister of Heritage and Culture.

Early life

Haitham is a son of Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur, son of Sultan Taimur bin Feisal, and Sayyida Shawana bint Hamud bin Ahmad Al Busaidi. He has six brothers and two sisters: Talal, Qais, Asa'ad, Shihab, Adham, Faris, Amal, and Nawwal. Sayyida Nawwal bint Tariq (also called Kamila) was married to Sultan Qaboos bin Said from 1976 to 1979. His brother Sayyid Asa'ad bin Tariq is the Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Cooperation Affairs and his brother Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq is the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs. His other four brothers are all businessmen and are not involved in politics. He completed his primary education at Saidiya School in Muscat and attended

Brummana High School Brummana High School (BHS, ) is a private school in Lebanon. It is located in the village of Brummana, situated in Metn, Mount Lebanon, east of the capital city Beirut. This school was established in 1873, by the Quaker Theophilus Waldmeier ( ...

in Lebanon. He graduated from the Foreign Service Programme (FSP) at

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

in 1979.

Marriage and children

Haitham is married to Sayyida Ahad bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidi and together they have four children. * Crown Prince Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham (born 21 August 1990), married firstly Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab Al Said on 11 November 2021 and divorced in early 2022 with no issue; married secondly Sayyida Alia bint Mohammed Al Busaidi on 24 April 2025 * Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham (born 10 January 1995) married on 15 June 2021 and has issue * Sayyida Thuraya bint Haitham * Sayyida Omaima bint Haitham

Political career

A sports enthusiast, Haitham served as the first head of the

Oman Football Association The Oman Football Association () is the governing body of football in Oman. It was founded in 1978, and has been a member of the Asian Football Confederation and of FIFA since 1980. History The first football club of the Sultanate (documented ...

in the early 1980s. He served as the Undersecretary of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

for Political Affairs from 1986 to 1994, and was later appointed as the Secretary General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1994–2002). He was later appointed as Minister of Heritage and Culture in March 2002 and later chaired the national census committee in 2003. He usually represented Oman abroad in a diplomatic capacity; in 2016, he personally welcomed the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (later

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in East ...

) on a visit to Oman. Haitham is also chairman of the committee for the future vision of "Oman 2040" along with being honorary president of the Oman Association for the Disabled. He was said to be the favoured candidate of Oman's merchant families with whom he is said to have links.

Sultan of Oman

After the death of Sultan Qaboos, Haitham's first cousin, on 10 January 2020, Haitham was named by the royal family and Qaboos's will as Sultan of Oman the next day and took an oath before an emergency session of the Council of Oman in Al-Bustan. According to Omani state TV, Qaboos's letter was opened by the Defence Council and his identity was announced shortly thereafter. As sultan, he also held the positions of prime minister, supreme commander of the armed forces, minister of defence, minister of finance, minister of foreign affairs and chairman of the

Central Bank of Oman The Central Bank of Oman (CBO; ) was established in December 1974 and began operations on 1 April 1975. It replaced the Oman Currency Board as the principal currency authority in Oman. Taimur bin Asa'ad Al Said is the current chairman of the bo ...

until 18 August 2020 when he appointed Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi as foreign minister, Sultan bin Salem bin Saeed al-Habsi as minister of finance, and Taimur bin Asa'ad Al Said as chairman of the

. In his first public speech, he promised to uphold his predecessor's peace-making foreign policy and to further develop Oman's economy. Haitham bin Tariq is married and, unlike his predecessor, also has children, two sons and two daughters. Early in his reign he signed Oman to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (GA) on 16 December 1966 through GA. Resolution 2200A (XXI), and came into force on 3 January 197 ...

and

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) is an international human rights instrument of the United Nations intended to prevent forced disappearance, which, as defined in international l ...

. On 11 January 2021, the Sultan issued a royal decree creating a

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

role, stating that Oman’s crown prince will be the eldest son of the serving sultan. This made his eldest son, Sayyid Theyazin, the country's first crown prince, and officially formalised the method of succession. He also changed the Basic Law of Oman to grant citizens and residents freedom of expression and opinion, removed a law that allowed the state to monitor private phone conversations, social media or postal correspondence, and granted the freedom to practice religious rites according to recognised customs provided it does not violate the public order or contradict morals. In April 2021 Oman introduced its

value added tax A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared wi ...

, later than the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain but before Qatar and Kuwait. In May and June 2021, there were many protests against the Omani government over economic concerns such as unemployment and corruption. Some protesters were arrested and then released. Haitham's visits to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

have been seen as a move to maintain peaceful and cordial relations with Oman's important partners. His visit to Saudi Arabia was the first political visit by an Omani royal to the kingdom in over a decade. During his visit to the United Kingdom, he met

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

and was honoured with a GCMG. In September 2022, following Elizabeth II's death, Haitham visited

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

to offer his condolences to

. He visited Tehran in May 2023 where he discussed regional diplomatic and security issues, two days after Muscat mediated a prisoner swap between Iran and Belgium. In 2023 the government approved a $5.2 billion investment fund, the Oman Future Fund, to support diversified economic growth and announced a new development project, Sultan Haitham City. In 2023 a Tourism Law was promulgated. The Medium Term Fiscal Plan for 20202024 proposed greater fiscal sustainability. Oman's overall fiscal deficit averaged 12.8% of gross domestic product from 20152020, while the budget deficit reached approximately 3.6% in 2021. Oman enjoyed a budget surplus of approximately 5% of GDP in 2022 – the country's first surplus since 2013. Oman’s long-term sovereign credit rating changed from junk status to the investment grade of BB+ in 2024.

Titles, styles, and honours

Titles and styles

* 11 October 1955 – 10 January 2020: His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said * 11 January 2020 – present: His Majesty The Sultan of Oman

National honours

* ** Member 1st Class of the

Order of Al-Said The Order of Al Said () is the highest Orders, decorations, and medals of Oman, order of Oman. History The order was originally founded by Taimur bin Feisal, Sultan Taimur bin Faisal in 1913, the first year of his reign. In 1911, he attended t ...

** Member 1st Class of the Order of Oman **

Member 1st Class of the Order of Establishment ** Member 2nd Class of the Order of Sultan Qaboos **

Member 1st Class of the Order of the Renaissance of Oman

Foreign honours

* : ** Grand Collar of the National Order of Merit (29 October 2024) * : ** AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 1st Class BAR

Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (31 March 2001). *: ** Order of Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa

Member Exceptional Class of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (24 October 2022). *: ** BEL - Order of Leopold - Grand Cordon bar

Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (3 December 2024) * : ** EGY Order of the Nile - Grand Cordon BAR

Collar of the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sulta ...

(21 May 2023). * : ** JOR Order of the Renaissance GC

Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (4 October 2022). ** Collar of the Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali (22 May 2024). * : ** KUW Order of Mubarak the Great ribbon

Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great (6 February 2024). * : ** Order of the Netherlands Lion ribbon - Knight Grand Cross

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (15 April 2025). * : ** Sword of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani (22 November 2021). * : ** Collar of the

Order of Abdulaziz al Saud The Order of King Abdulaziz (Arabic: وسام الملك عبد العزيز Wisām al-malik ‘Abd al-‘Azīz) is a Saudi Arabian order of merit. The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state. History In 1971 ...

(11 July 2021 – I Class, 24 December 2006). * ** ESP Order of Civil Merit Minor Grades

Order of Civil Merit (1985) * : ** TUR Order of the State of Republic of Turkey 2013 BAR

Order of the State of the Republic of Turkey (28 November 2024). * : ** Ribbon bar of the Order of Zayed

Collar of the Order of Zayed (27 September 2022). * : ** UK Royal Victorian Order honorary member ribbon

Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(GCVO) (26 November 2010). ** UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon

Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(GCMG) (15 December 2021).

References