Tracing the Postal History of Muscat

The Sultanate of Oman, one of the well-known sultanates in the Middle East, was formerly known as the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, named after the Capital and most important city in the Sultanate. Found on the east of the Arabian Peninsula, the sultanate is composed of two regions known as Oman (or the interior part) and Muscat - the coastal region. For years confusion was widespread regarding the distinction and location of Muscat and Oman and what these places stand for. But if one officially checks the records, Oman is the name historically used to refer to the region on the interior, which was never controlled by a central authority, and only partially ruled by the Imam of Oman. The region of Muskat was controlled by a Sultan who took control of the coastal area. As a country, the two (2) regions were called Muscat & Oman (1960s), but the unification was broken by a civil war during the 1960s lasting up to the 1970s. The Sultan, through the backing of British troops, won the war and in the 1970s, the name Sultanate of Oman was officially adopted.

Muscat in the 19th Century

During the early half of the 19th century, Muscat was an important regional hub controlled by the Al-Busaid dynasty. Dubbed the ‘Omani empire', the controlled area includes the coastal area of Pakistan and Iran, parts of Arabian Peninsula, east of the African continent including Somalia, Comoros and Zanzibar. This dynasty began to crumble during the second half of the 19th Century, as the result of endless internal conflicts, economical pressures and the rise of the European Countries. And although Oman later came under the influence of the British Empire as part of the Anglo-Omani Treaty (1891), it never completely lost its independence.

How Stamps Developed and the History of the Postal Office

It was on May 1, 1864 that the Indian post office in the region was opened. The stamps of India were in use until November 20, 1944 when the public was treated to ten official stamps and fifteen postage stamps of India with Arab texts, commemorating the bi-centenary of Al-Busaid family. The batch was then withdrawn from the market on January 1, 1945, bringing about the reappearance of the Indian stamps into use until 1947. Pakistan stamps were used from December 1947 to March 31, 1948. Later, stamps of the British Postal Agencies were offered until April 26, 1966.

There were overprinting of stamps thanks to the agreement between the British Postal Authorities and Sultan Said bin Taimur. There were other recommendations including stamps fitted with King’s portrait but in the end, the stamps with ‘Al Busaid 1363’ styled in Arabic were chosen. This was issued November 20 to mark the rise to power of the Sultan Said bin Sultan, the Dynasty’s most popular ruler.