British-French Competition in Oman 1749-1798

Abstract

Oman was one of the most important commercial centeres in the Arabian Gulf and enjoys a distinct strategic location, and it contains important ports, including: the port of Muscat, Sohar and Qalhat, which made it vulnerable to the ambitions of European countries, especially France and Britain. Oman was ruled by the Al-Busaid family, especially during the era of its founder Ahmed bin Saeed, It was characterized during his era of economic prosperity and was able to achieve national unity, and at the same time was keen to stick to the position of neutrality in relation to the British-French competition, but it was difficult to maintain a position of neutrality, which pushed Oman to be an arena for maritime clash between British ships and a thousand Forgotten, that the reason for our choice for 1749 is the beginning of the family took the Po Said rule in Amman, headed by Ahmed bin Said, the 1798 is an agreement Muscat, which is the first political agreement between Oman and other European countries.