Imamate of Oman

Imamate of Oman إمامة عُمَان Imāmat 'Umān
749–1959
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ God is the Greatest
The last Imamate of Oman and the Sultanate of Muscat in the 20th century
Status	Imamate
Capital	Nizwa 22°56′N 57°32′E / 22.933°N 57.533°E / 22.933; 57.533
Common languages	Arabic
Religion	Ibadi Islam (state religion)
Government	Islamic theocratic absolute elective monarchy
Imam
• 749–751 (first)	Al-Julanda bin Masud
• 1954–1959 (last)	Ghalib al-Hinai
Legislature	Consultative Council
Historical era	Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire/New Imperialism
• Imamate declared	749
• Treaty of Seeb	25 September 1920
• End of the Jebel Akhdar War	1959
Currency	Maria Theresa thaler[1]
ISO 3166 code	OM
Preceded by Succeeded by Umayyad Caliphate Omani Empire Muscat and Oman
Today part of	Oman

The Imamate of Oman (Arabic: إِمَامَة عُمَان, romanized: Imāmat ʿUmān) was a historical state within the Oman proper (Arabic: عُمَان ٱلْوُسْطَى, romanized: ʿUmān al-Wusṭā) in the Hajar Mountains, part of the present-day Sultanate of Oman.^[2] The capital of the Imamate alternated historically between Rustaq and Nizwa. The Imamate's territory extended north to Ibri and south to the Alsharqiyah region and the Sharqiya Sands. The Imamate was bounded in the east by the Hajar Mountains and in the west by the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert.^[3] The Al Hajar Mountains separated the Imamate of Oman from Muscat and Oman. The elected Imam (ruler) resided in the capital, and Walis (governors) represented the Imamate in its different regions.^[4][5][6]

The Imamate of Oman, similar to the Sultanate of Muscat, was ruled by the Ibadi sect. Imams exercised spiritual and temporal representation over the region.^[3] The Imamate is a 1,200-year-old system of government pioneered by the Ibadi religious leaders of Oman, and was based upon the Islamic sharia. The Imamate holds that the ruler should be elected.^[5] The imam is considered as the head of the community but tribalism that is part of the Omani society encouraged a decentralised form of governance that would help sustain political unity among the Omanis.^[3] The Imamate set out a government system wherein the ruler should not have absolute political nor military power; rather power should be shared with local governors.^[6] To prevent local or external threats to the Imamate, the imam had to gather the support of the local communities and tribes to raise a force to fight for a certain cause. The imam needed in-depth understanding of tribal politics and political acumen to maintain political stability within the Imamate when conflicts occurred.^[3]