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Oman

Culture & Identity

Way of Life

The way of life in Oman has vastly changed over the last century. in about 1900 most of the people lived off the land in an oasis, the desert, or along the coast. The people had little in the way of education and traditional life ruled the region. However, with the discovery of oil and more recently with educational, infrastructural, and other political changes, the culture and way of life has vastly changed.

Today every child in Oman has access to education and this is an important part of life. Many people have also moved to cities as modern amenities in these growing coastal communities make life much easier than it ever was. Advanced healthcare has extended lives and infrastructure makes transportation much easier.

Today the way of life in the country is a balance between the modern conveniences of the world with the clothing, traditions, and culture of the past. With each passing year there are more jobs in the services and industrial sectors, moving people from a living based off the land and seas. These new occupations also offer more regular working hours as most people tend to work from about 8:00 am to about 7:00 pm, but with a long lunch break during the hottest hours of the day, from about 1:00 to 4:00 pm, when nearly everything shuts down.

However, the traditional dress and culture still exists and one of the most important aspects of this culture is religion. Most of the people are Muslim so the weekend in the country ran from Thursday to Friday, since Friday is Islam's holy day. However, in 2013 the country shifted their non-working days to Friday and Saturday to match neighboring countries, again a balance between modern work and tradition.

Despite the modern amenities and high wages in the country (compared to many countries in the region, although generally lower than that of the Gulf Coast countries), the people remain tied to tradition. The dress from centuries past remains, traditional foods have not been replaced, architecture must be built in a traditional style, and family and religion are the center of the lives of most people. Although the work day hours have changed and camels have been replaced by cars for most of the people, working, education, and everything is done for family and God.

Ethnicity

Most of Oman's population is Arab, which is an ethnic group of people from the Arabian Peninsula, on which Oman sits at the tip. Like all Arab people, the Omanis aren't truly a singular ethnicity, but rather have traces of various other ethnicities that have been introduced. In Oman's case, the greatest outside influences include the Bedouin, perhaps the origin of the Arabs, and the East Africans, as Oman was ruled from Zanzibar, Tanzania for some time and the trade between the two brought numerous Africans to the region. With the people from East Africa came great ethnic diversity, although the people are still considered "Arab." There is a group of Baluchi, people who claim a distinct ethnicity, but primarily are defined by language (originally from the region of Iran and Pakistan). There are also a number of South Asian immigrants, some of whom have stayed; these people primarily include Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis.

Language

Arabic is the only official language in Oman. The written form of the language is called Modern Standard Arabic (written in the Arabic script), which gives the language consistency across countries from a written perspective. The spoken dialects of Arabic are so drastic from location to location that Arabic speakers in Oman may not even understand Arabic speakers from a country further away, like Morocco. Obviously the dialect of Arabic in Oman is most closely related to the dialects spoken in nearby countries like Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.

Arabic is a Semitic language; other closely related Semitic languages include Amharic (Ethiopia) and Hebrew. More distantly related are languages like Berber (North Africa) as well as historic languages including Phoenician and ancient Egyptian.

There are a number of ethnic minorities that speak less common languages, including Baluchi, Urdu, and others. For most of these people, Arabic is also learned and is the most common language of communication between groups. English is the most commonly taught second language in the country and many young people speak at least a minimal amount of English if they are not completely fluent.

Religion

Ibadi (or Ibadhi) Muslim is the official religion of Oman and nearly three quarters of the population follow this religion. The rest of the population is also primarily Muslim, consisting of Sunni and Shia Muslims, but also smaller numbers of other religions, including Hindi.

Islam (the name of the religion, whose followers are called Muslims) is a monotheistic religion, whose holy book is called the Qur'an. The Qur'an is believed to be the word of God spoken through the prophet Muhammad from 609-632 CE (Common Era is preferred over AD (Anno Domini or "year of the Lord") since the Islamic world doesn't believe Jesus was the messiah). Islam believes Muhammad was the last prophet sent to earth by God, the last in a long line of prophets, which includes Moses, Abraham, and Jesus among others.

Muslims follow five pillars of their faith: testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage. These pillars, and other tenants of their faith, can give great structure to their lives as some foods, like pork, are forbidden and every Muslim is expected to pray five times a day. However, the level of participation in each of these pillars and to what degree Islam influences an individual's life varies from person to person and community to community. Generally speaking, Oman has a range of both liberal and conservative Muslims, but the people tend to be fairly conservative.

Dress

As a Muslim country, there are a number of religious laws which should be obeyed by everyone in Oman, including tourists. Oman receives very few tourists and not following Islamic laws is considered rude and inappropriate, although the local people are generally too kind to point out your lack of respect. Most local men wear a loose fitting outfit called a dishdash with a local Omani hat or piece of cloth wrapped around their head. Women tend to completely cover up down to their wrists and ankles, nearly always covering their hair and sometimes even their faces.

Women should cover their hair at all times in public (although it is not legally required) and both women and men are expected to cover their legs and shoulders; showing your knees and/or shoulders is very offensive. Even 3/4 length pants, like Capris and short sleeve shirts should be avoided, although there is some leniency to the short sleeve shirts so long as the shoulders are covered. Some all-inclusive resorts that cater to tourists relax these regulations on their private beaches, however everywhere else you must cover up.

Behavior

How most Omanis behave and the expectations for how foreigners must behave is deeply rooted in the people's Islamic faith. Adult women are best off traveling to Oman with their husband or family. Single women travelers are looked at oddly and traveling with a man who is not related or married to you is considered wrong. Pretending you are married is not right, but is less offensive than a single man and women traveling together. It is also improper to touch a woman, even holding your wife's hand or offering to shake a local woman's hand can be considered inappropriate.

Additionally, there are some strict Islamic dietary restrictions in Oman, including the fact that neither pork nor alcohol shall be consumed (see our Oman Dining & Food Page). Although some high end hotels may offer alcohol in their restaurants, pork is nearly impossible to find and consuming either is extremely offensive so should be avoided.

Finally, avoid sensitive conversation topics, such as politics, finances, religion, and business unless initiated by your local counterpart. Also try to avoid being loud, rude, or showing off wealth.

Identity

Omanis proudly wear their "national dress" and can be spotted throughout Arabia, yet they view their "Omani" lifestyle as simple and humble and live in much the same way. Oman has been influenced by others and others have influenced Oman, making the people open to different views and opinions, making them welcoming and inquisitive, yet they don't seek change, but rather listen intently as they remain confident in who they are. This past diversity and changing world around them have made the Omani identity more firm in what it is as it is truly based on the lifestyle and culture of the people. Ethnicity is not a significantly important factor as Oman is incredibly diverse, but religion (Islam) is important and helps contribute to the lifestyle and culture of the people in many ways.

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This page was last updated: November, 2013