History

Evidence of communal activity in the area around Muscat dates back to the 6th millenium BCE in Ras al-Hamra. Here, burial sites of fishermen have been found. The graves are well formed and are indicative of the existence of burial rituals. South of Muscat, remnants of Harappan pottery indicate some level of contact with the Indus Valley Civilisation. p.255-256

Muscat's notability as a port as early as the 1st century CE was acknowledged by Greek Ptolemy, who referred to it as Cryptus Portus (the hidden port), and by Pliny the Elder, who referred to it as Amithoscuta. The port fell to a Sassanid invasion in the 3rd century CE, under the rule of Shapur I. p. 41. The people of Muscat and Oman converted to Islam during the 6th century. Muscat's importance as a trading port continued to grow in the centuries that followed, under the influence of the Azd dynasty. By the 9th century CE, Muscat was trading with India and China, trading in pearls, carpets and gems. Muscat's agents traded with Canton and Malabar, while a few traders settled in Siam, Java, Sumatra and other islands page 365. The establishment of the First Imamate in the ninth century CE was the first step in consolidating disparate Omani tribal factions under the banner of an Ibadi state. By exploiting tribal weaknesses, the Ibadi leaders gained control of the region and redistributed the traditional power bases of Oman. p. 23-24. However, as tribal skirmishes continued, the Abbasids of Baghdad conquered Oman, occupying it until the 11th century, when they were driven out by the Yahmad tribe. Power over Oman shifted from the Yahmad tribe to the Azdi Nabahinah clan, during whose rule, the people of coastal ports such as Muscat prospered from maritime trade and close alliances with the Indian subcontinent, at the cost of the alienation of the people of the interior of Oman.

The Portuguese conquistador Afonso de Albuquerque attacked Muscat in July, 1507. The bloody battle ensued between the Portuguese and forces loyal to the Persian governor of the city. After the fall of the town, Albuquerque massacred most of the remaining inhabitats – men, women and children p.147, following which the town was occupied and pillaged. After the conquest of Muscat, the port became a station for Portuguese merchants, who were protected by frequent visits of Portuguese colonies in India. The Portuguese maintained a hold on Muscat for over a century, despite challenges from Persia and a bombardment of the town by the Turks in 1546. (p.167). The election of Nasir bin Murshid al-Yaribi as Imam of Oman in 1624 changed the balance of power in the region, from the Persians and the Portuguese to local Omanis. On August 16, 1648 the Imam dispatched an army which captured and demolished high towers of the Portuguese in Muscat, weakening the Portuguese grip over the town. Decisively, in 1650, a small but determined body of the Imam's troops attacked the port at night, forcing about seven hundred Portuguese to escape to the island of Diu (p. 196). On January 23, 1650, the Portuguese surrendered their forts to the invading Imamate army. A civil war broke out in the 18th century, between the Imam Saif, who controlled the coastal cities of Muscat, Sohar and Barka, and Belarab bin Himyar, who controlled the interior. A civilian war, and repeated incursions by the Perisan king Nadir Shah in the 18th century destabilised the region, and further strained relations between the interior and Muscat. This power vacuum in Oman led to the emergence of the Al Bu Sa‘id dynasty dynasty, which consolidated power and has ruled Oman ever since. (p. 258).

Muscat's naval and military supremacy was reestablished in the 19th century by Said bin Sultan, who gained control over Zanzibar, eventually moving his kingdom there. During the second half of the 19th century, the fortunes of the Al Bu Sa`id declined and friction with the Imams of the interior resurfaced. Muscat and Muttrah were attacked by tribals from the interior in 1895 and again in 1915. (Britanica, p.6) A tentative ceasefire was brokered by the British, which gave the interior more autonomy. However, conflicts between the disparate tribes of the interior among each other and with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman continued into the 1950s, and eventually escalated into the Dhofar Rebellion (1962), forcing the Sultan Sa`id bin Taimur to seek the assistance of the British in quelling the uprisings. The April 26, 1966 failed assassination attempt on Sai`d bin Taimur led to the further isolation of the Sultan, who had moved his residence from Muscat to Salalah, and the rest of the country, amidst the civilian armed conflict. On July 23, 1970, Qaboos bin Sa'id, son of the Sultan, staged a coup d'état in the Salalah palace, and took over as Sultan.

With the assistance of the British, Qaboos bin Sa`id put an end to the Dhofar uprising and consolidated disparate tribal territories. He renamed the country, the Sultanate of Oman (which was hiterto called Muscat and Oman), in an attempt to project an end to isolation between the interior and coastal towns, such as Muscat. Qaboos enlisted the services of capable Omanis to fill positions in his new government (3 1/2 decades, p.126), drawing from such corporations as Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). New ministries for social services such as health and education were established. The construction of Mina Qaboos, a new port conceived initially by Sa`id bin Taimur, was developed during the early days of Qaboos' rule. Similary, a new international airport was developed in Muscat's Seeb district. A complex of offices, warehouses, shops and homes transformed the old village of Ruwi in Muttrah into a commercial district. (p. 128) The first five-year development plan in 1976 emphasised infrastructural development of Muscat. The development of Muscat established new opportunities for trade and tourism in the 1980s – 1990s, which attracted migrants from around the region. However, on the June 6, 2007, cyclone ("Cyclone Gonu"), which hit Muscat caused extensive damage to property, infrastructure and commercial activity.