Post-Abu Dhabi & Dubai Study Mission March 14-17, 2009

Photos! Click here for the Oman Study Mission photo gallery.

A.C.E. will be organizing the 2009 Oman Study Mission which will take place directly after the 2009 International Study Mission to the UAE. This study mission will have 16 participants.

You've heard of the Middle East, the Arab World, and the Arabian Peninsula. But have you heard of the Sultanate of Oman? This jewel of a country on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, faces the Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf, and is one of the finest destinations in the world with 1100 miles of coastline, rugged mountains 10,000 feet high, and ruins of an ancient civilization dating back to 12,000 BC.

In March 2009 following the Seattle Study Mission to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, a small group of 16 delegates will visit Muscat and environs accompanied by one of our own local M.E. specialists, and hosted in country by the national university of Oman, Sultan Qaboos University. Don't miss this opportunity to see the heart of Arabia first hand, and meet the warm and gracious Arabians that make Oman a favorite place to visit for people from Singapore to Johannesburg. The trip will be unique with rare opportunities to glimpse local village life, ancient ruins, and traditional crafts. Be prepared for a journey into the past and present of Arabia. A trip briefing will be offered to delegates (date and time TBD).

Itinerary (tentative)

March 14:
Bus trip from Dubai to Muscat including site-seeing along the Omani coast and visit to the Suwadi beach resort

Check in at the Grand Hyatt in Oman

Tour of city at night

March 15:
Business meeting followed by coastal cruise

Dinner at Shangrila resort

March 16:
Inland trip to Nizwa (ancient city of learning), mountain caverns, castles, traditional village and pottery factory

March 17:
Hotel late checkout

Beit Zubair Museum and optional military museum tour

Tour and meeting with the president and senior staff of the national univeristy

Dinner

Depart for airport

PLANNED MEETINGS include the:
• Government leaders of Oman
• Regional business leaders
• Senior leaders of the national university
• Village community members

Travel Tips
coming soon


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About Oman

Facts and Figures:
• Temperature 77-95 F during the day, and 63-66 F at night.
• Muscat is the capital of Oman.
• Legend has it that Sinbad the Sailor was from Oman.
• Arabic is the official language.
• Weekends in Oman are on Thursday and Friday.
• Oil, gas, agriculture and fishing are the major economic resources.
• Oman is the third largest country in the Arabian Peninsular.
• Bullfighting is a popular sport here - but it differs from the Spanish kind!
• The Muttrah Souk (market) in Muscat is reputed to be the largest, most interesting and diverse in the Arab Gulf States.
• Despite its size, Oman has only 2,340,00 inhabitants, seven hundred thousand of whom live in Muscat.
• Omani Currency is the Omani Rial.

Archaeologists can tell you that people have inhabited present day Oman since the Paleolithic Era, with the first permanent agricultural settlements appearing around 9,000 BCE. From the 6th to 4th centuries BCE, Oman was under the control of several Persian empires from the Achaemenids to the Parthians and Sassanids, until the arrival of Islam in the 7th century ADE. Oman became an autonomous entity through the founding of the Al Said Imamate in the 9th century, though it would be invaded for its strategic trading position in the centuries to come while enjoying intermittent periods of sovereignty. Notably, Muscat and Oman fell under Portuguese rule on April 1st, 1515, and remained that way (with the exception of a decade under Ottoman command) until 1650, when the Yarubid Imamate regained control over the land. During the 18th and first half of the 19th century, Oman became a regional power, extending its ambitions to colonies on Zanzibar and in present day Pakistan. A chief commercial focus during this era was the slave trade, which crumbled when Britain outlawed slavery in the 1850s. Consequently, the British seized much of Oman's overseas assets, and the British and the French nominally contested the country itself. Furthermore, internal rebellions plagued Oman until the 1950s when with the help of Britain the Sultanate's power was solidified once again. The 1960's witnessed the rise of a Marxist guerrilla movement, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman, which ultimately prompted the present Sultan, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, to oust his father in a 1970 coup. Since that time, the country has progressed in economic, political and educational degrees unparalleled in Omani history.

This information barely glimpses the deep and flourishing culture of Oman, which must be experienced first hand to truly be appreciated. This is one of the principal reasons we are taking a study mission to Oman. You are encouraged, however, to do some research ahead of time to inform your own experience, and invited to contribute to our ongoing discussion on-line to help foster the educational purpose of our visit to such an intriguing part of the world.

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Useful Links
The Grand Hyatt
http://www.muscat.grand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

A recent article on Oman's new program, "EducationUSA":
http://www.amideast.org/offices/oman/default.htm

For some helpful information on Oman's geography, climate and population, swing by:
http://countrystudies.us/persian-gulf-states/45.htm

Current events from the Times of Oman, and English language newspaper:
http://www.timesofoman.com/

For various economic and demographic statistics, check out the World Factbook for Oman at:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mu.html

Sultan Qaboos University website:
http://www.squ.edu.om/

To get a glimpse of Oman's burgeoning tourism industry, visit:
http://www.omantourism.gov.om/

To learn about Oman's commercial side, explore:
http://www.chamberoman.com/home.asp

Here is a great bibliography on Oman, prepared by the Oman Studies Centre:
http://www.oman.org/reading.htm

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