The Multiple Legacies of Sultan Qaboos: Heritage and Omani Nation–building

This chapter outlines the development of heritage policy and outcomes over the course of Qaboos’ reign by tracing Oman’s heritage structures, institutions, and narratives by period. Qaboos used heritage to create a more inclusive, flexible, and unifying Omani identity, one that made space for religious, sectarian, and tribal differences as a bulwark against division and conflict. This chapter demonstrates the contingent nature of Oman’s heritage program. The development of both public and private initiatives were clearly governed by the vagaries of resources, attention, opportunities, and threats more than any specific vision over the long arc of Qaboos’ reign.