The Political Role of the Tribe: The Sultanate of Oman as an Example

Abstract

The aim of the study is to highlight the main role which the Omani tribe played in transforming the Sultanate of Oman from a State governed by tribes to a state with a political system and to elaborate on the power struggle between the El-Yaa'ribeh tribe and the Bursa'idiyyin tribe which led to the rise of a unified state amid the competition of foreign powers, such as France and Britain to gain control of the Sultanate. The study concluded that the Bursa'idiyyin tribe played an important political role in the history of Oman by contributing to the formation of the contemporary Omani State. The Bursa'idiyying tribe is still playing its role in the contemporary state of Oman. The study has confirmed that the Omani tribe was and still is the basis of the political system of Oman and that it is the main supporter of the regime. It has also confirmed the success of the role of the tribe in accessing power while keeping the tribe 's components as a social unit in the Omani Society.