Haitham bin Tariq
Sultan Haitham
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![]() Haitham in 2024 | |||||
Sultan of Oman | |||||
Reign | 11 January 2020 – present | ||||
Predecessor | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Heir apparent | Theyazin bin Haitham | ||||
Prime Minister and Minister of Defence | |||||
Assumed office 11 January 2020 | |||||
Deputy | Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said Asa'ad bin Tariq Shihab bin Tariq | ||||
Preceded by | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Minister of Heritage and Culture | |||||
In office March 2002 – 1 March 2020 | |||||
Prime Minister | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Preceded by | Faisal bin Ali Al Said | ||||
Succeeded by | Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi | ||||
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |||||
In office 11 January 2020 – 18 August 2020 | |||||
Prime Minister | Himself | ||||
Preceded by | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Succeeded by | Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi | ||||
Minister of Finance | |||||
In office 11 January 2020 – 18 August 2020 | |||||
Prime Minister | Himself | ||||
Preceded by | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Succeeded by | Sultan bin Salem bin Saeed al-Habsi | ||||
Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |||||
In office 1994–2002 | |||||
Prime Minister | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs | |||||
In office 1986–1994 | |||||
Prime Minister | Qaboos bin Said | ||||
Born | Muscat, Muscat and Oman | 11 October 1955||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue |
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House | Al Said | ||||
Father | Tariq bin Taimur | ||||
Mother | Shawana bint Hamud bin Ahmad Al Busaidiyah | ||||
Religion | Ibadi Islam |
Omani royal family |
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Sultan Haitham bin Tariq
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Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (Arabic: هَيْثَم بْن طَارِق آل سَعِيد, romanized: Hayṯam bin Ṭāriq ʾĀl Saʿīd; born 11 October 1955)[1][2] is Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman.
Haitham was born in Muscat and is a grandson of Sultan Taimur bin Feisal. Sultan Qaboos bin Said was a cousin of Haitham, and Haitham served for multiple decades in Qaboos's cabinet. He was Minister of Heritage and Culture from 2002 to 2020.[3][4] Sultan Qaboos named him as his successor in his will. Haitham was proclaimed sultan on 11 January 2020, hours after Qaboos's death.[5]
Early life
[edit]Haitham is a son of Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur, son of Sultan Taimur bin Feisal, and Shawana bint Hamud bin Ahmad Al Busaidiyah.[6][7] He has six brothers and two sisters: Talal, Qais, Asa'ad, Shihab, Adham, Faris, Amal, and Nawwal.[6] Sayyida Nawwal bint Tariq (also called Kamila) was married to Sultan Qaboos bin Said from 1976 to 1979.[6] 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 (and the father of his daughter-in-law, Meyyan). His other four brothers are all businessmen and are not involved in politics.[8]
He completed his primary education at Saidiya School in Muscat and attended Brummana High School in Lebanon.[9] He graduated from the Foreign Service Programme (FSP) at Pembroke College, University of Oxford, in 1979.[10]
Marriage and children
[edit]Haitham is married to Sayyida Ahad bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidiyah and together they have four children.[11]
- Crown Prince Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham (born 21 August 1990),[12][13] married Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab Al Said on 11 November 2021 in the Mazay Hall of Al Alam Palace.[14]
- Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham (born 10 January 1995) married 15 June 2021 at Al Alam Palace and has issue[15]
- Sayyida Thuraya bint Haitham
- Sayyida Omaima bint Haitham
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Theyazin_and_Haitham.jpg/220px-Theyazin_and_Haitham.jpg)
Political career
[edit]A sports enthusiast, Haitham served as the first head of the Oman Football Association in the early 1980s.[16] He served as the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs from 1986 to 1994, and was later appointed as the Secretary General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1994–2002).[17][18] He was later appointed as Minister of Heritage and Culture in March 2002 and later chaired the national census committee in 2003.[19] He usually represented Oman abroad in a diplomatic capacity;[20] in 2016, he personally welcomed the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (later King Charles III and Queen Camilla) on a visit to Oman.[21]
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.[22]
Sultan of Oman
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Secretary_Pompeo_Meets_with_the_Sultan_of_Oman_Haitham_bin_Tariq_Al_Said_%2849565463757%29.jpg/220px-Secretary_Pompeo_Meets_with_the_Sultan_of_Oman_Haitham_bin_Tariq_Al_Said_%2849565463757%29.jpg)
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.[23] Oman state TV said the former sultan's letter was opened by the Defence Council and his identity was announced shortly thereafter.[24] 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 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,[25][26] and Taimur bin Asa'ad al Said as chairman of the Central Bank of Oman.[27]
In his first public speech, he promised to uphold his predecessor's peace-making foreign policy and to further develop Oman's economy.[21][28] Haitham bin Tariq is married and, unlike his predecessor, also has children, two sons and two daughters.[29][30]
On 12 January 2021, the Sultan issued a royal decree creating a Crown Prince role, stating that Oman’s crown prince will be the eldest son of the serving sultan. Therefore making his eldest son, Sayyid Theyazin, the country's first crown prince.[31] 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 recognized customs provided it does not violate the public order or contradict morals.[32]
In May and June 2021, there were many protests against the Omani government over economic concerns such as unemployment and corruption.[33] Some protesters were arrested and then released.[34][33]
Haitham's visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Kingdom 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.[35] During his visit to the United Kingdom, he met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and was honoured with a GCMG.[36] On 19 September 2022, Haitham attended the state funeral of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, London.[37]
Titles, styles, and honors
[edit]Styles of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq | |
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Reference style | His Majesty |
Spoken style | Your Majesty |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Titles and styles
[edit]- 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 honors
[edit]Oman
Member 1st Class of the Order of Al Russoukh (or The Firmness)[38]
Member 1st Class of the Order of Al-Said[38]
Member 1st Class of the Order of Oman[38]
Member 1st Class of the Order of the Renaissance of Oman[38]
Foreign honors
[edit]Austria: Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (31 March 2001).[39]
Bahrain: Member Exceptional Class of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (24 October 2022).[40]
Jordan:
- Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (4 October 2022).[41]
- Collar of the Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali (22 May 2024).[42]
Qatar: Sword of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani (22 November 2021).[43]
Saudi Arabia: Collar of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (11 July 2021 – I Class, 24 December 2006).[35]
United Arab Emirates: Collar of the Order of Zayed (27 September 2022).[44]
United Kingdom:
- Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) (26 November 2010).[45]
- Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) (15 December 2021).[46]
Egypt: Collar of the Order of the Nile (21 May 2023).[47]
Kuwait: Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great (6 February 2024).[48]
References
[edit]- ^ "Index Ha". www.rulers.org.
- ^ Valeri, Marc (21 January 2020). "Oman's new sultan faces mammoth challenges". BBC. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Cabinet of Ministers". Oman News Agency. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Appointing a Minister of Heritage and Culture, Royal Decree No11/2002, issued on 14 February 2002, published in issue 713 of the Official Gazette
- ^ "Oman's new ruler Haitham bin Tariq takes oath: newspapers". Reuters. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh, ed. (1980). Burke's Royal Families of the World Volume II Africa & the Middle East. p. 107. ISBN 0850110297.
- ^ "Mansour bin Zayed offers condolences on death of Shawanna Al -Busaidiyah". Emirates News Agency. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Peterson, John E. (2024). Oman's Transformation After 1970. Brill. p. 113. ISBN 978-9-004-69701-0.
- ^ "Biography: Education of His Majesty the Sultan". Ministry of Information. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Haitham bin Tariq appointed new ruler of Oman". Arab News. 11 January 2020.
- ^ "Oman's Sultan Haitham: A role model of public service". Arab News. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Sultan's eldest son will become Oman's crown prince, new decree says". Arab News. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ "Oldest son of Oman's sultan becomes country's first crown prince". Al Jazeera. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Theyazin Bin Haitham: Oman crown prince marries Meyyan Bint Shihab". 16 November 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Elgebaly, Sondos (13 December 2023). "Mr. Belarab bin Haitham, son of the Sultan of Oman, gives birth to his first child". Harpers Bazaar Arabia (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "New Oman ruler chosen by agreement, or secret letter". France 24. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ Oman, Ministry of Legal Affairs (1986). Royal Decree No. 2/86. Official Gazette.
- ^ Oman, Ministry of Legal Affairs (1994). Royal Decree No. 110/94. Official Gazette.
- ^ Valeri, Marc (2009). Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State. C. Hurst. pp. 97, 124. ISBN 978-1-85065-933-4. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "Haitham bin Tariq appointed new ruler of Oman". Arab News. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Oman's new ruler Haitham bin Tariq promises good ties with all nations". Arab News. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "The New Sultan of Oman: Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said". gulfnews.com. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ "Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said succeeds Sultan Qaboos of Oman". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ "Oman names culture minister as successor to Sultan Qaboos". AP NEWS. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ "Oman transfers powers from Sultan's remit in government revamp". Reuters. 18 August 2020 – via uk.reuters.com.
- ^ "Haitham bin Tariq sworn in as Oman's new sultan". www.aljazeera.com.
- ^ "CBO welcomes His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin Asa'ad bin Tariq Al Said". www.cbo.gov.om. Central Bank of Oman.
- ^ Hubbard, Ben (11 January 2020). "Oman's New Sultan Vows to Continue Country's Peacemaking Path". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "Oman's new ruler chosen to provide continuity". Reuters. 11 January 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Who is the new Sultan of Oman?". Tehran Times. 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Sultan's eldest son will become Oman's crown prince, new decree says". Arab News. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ "Oman's Sultan Haitham guarantees freedom of expression". The National. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Oman's New Sultan Sees First Labor Protests".
- ^ "'Controlling the situation': Oman leader quickly quells protests".
- ^ a b "Sultan Haitham in Saudi Arabia in first visit by Omani leader in over a decade". gulfnews.com. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Queen Elizabeth hosts Sultan of Oman at Windsor Castle". The National. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral: Arab Royals Pay Their Respects Ahead of The Ceremony". Harper's Bazaar. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d "History: A renewed renaissance". Oman 2040 (in Arabic). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Oman Info
- ^ "Bahraini King holds talks with Sultan of Oman". Emirates News Agency. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Jordan's King Abdullah in Oman, Exchange Medals With Sultan Haitham". Al Bawaba. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Oman News
- ^ "His Majesty, Emir of Qatar exchange honours". Times of Oman. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "UAE President, the Sultan of Oman exchange medals and gifts". wam. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ AGENCY (ONA), OMAN NEWS (2020). "H-M-Sultan". Oman News Agency. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ AGENCY (ONA), OMAN NEWS (16 December 2021). "Queen Elizabeth II confers on HM the Sultan honorary Knight Grand Cross". Oman Observer. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "His Majesty the Sultan, Egyptian President exchange decorations". Times of Oman. 21 May 2023.
- ^ "HM the Sultan and Emir of Kuwait exchange orders, mementos". Times of Oman. 6 February 2024.
- 1955 births
- Living people
- Omani Ibadi Muslims
- People from Muscat, Oman
- Sultans of Oman
- Al Said dynasty
- Prime ministers of Oman
- Finance ministers of Oman
- Culture ministers of Oman
- Chairmen of the Central Bank of Oman
- Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Recipients of the Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
- Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford
- 20th-century Omani people
- Children of prime ministers