Omanis are generally not allowed to leave…
1964 CE
Omanis are generally not allowed to leave the country and those who do are seldom allowed to return.
The sultan, his only contacts with the outside world British advisers and Muscat's merchant families, permits the latter to establish enormously lucrative monopolies for the import of goods that he sees as crucial to his country's survival.
In exchange, the merchants stay out of politics and import nothing that the sultan regards as progressive or Western, including radios, books, and eyeglasses.
Aside from the few wealthy merchants whose customs receipts provide the sultan with most of the country's income, the majority of the Omanis rely upon agriculture and fishing.
Meanwhile, the oil concession provides export income that the sultan refuses to spend.
Elsewhere, the Al Bu Sa'id rule over Zanzibar ends with independence in 1964.
