Chronology of key events:
 

3000 BC: The ancient city of Magan provides copper to the ancient world, linking the Indus and Sumerian civilizations, and “Ships of Magan” appear in ancient Sumerian art.

945 BC: The Queen of Sheba rules the rich country of Saba, trading in frankincense, gold, silver, ivory and apes.

563 BC: Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Oman.

50 AD: The Roman author Pliny describes the coastline of Oman and her ports, notably “Muza”, used by the merchants who trade in frankincense and other Arabian perfumes.

130 AD: The anonymous author of the “Periplus of the Eritrean Sea” describes the Dimanyat Islands and the difficulties of navigating the Omani coast.

224 AD: The Al-Azd tribe enter northern Oman from their original base in Dhofar and Yemen and free it from the Persian yoke.

226 AD: The Sassanian emperors introduce “qanat” system of underground water channels to Oman.

625 AD: Onset of Arab domination and the introduction of Islam.

800s - Ibadiyah Islamic sect begins ruling via a succession of elected and hereditary Ibadite imams.

950 AD: The Arab historian, geographer and philosopher, Abd al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Mas’udi, known as The Herodotus of Arabia, travels to and writes of the court of the Sultan of Oman.

1450 AD: Vasco Da Gama arrives in Sohar and persuades a famous Omani pilot, Ahmed ibn Majid of Julfar, to pilot him to Calicut.

1507 AD: Alphonso de Albequerque sacks Muscat for resisting him and takes control of the Omani coast. The Portuguese construct the Jelali and Malyani forts that sill stand today.

1650 AD: The Portuguese are driven out by Imam Sultan bin Saif.

1800s-1900s - Omani empire expands to include Zanzibar and Mombasa on Africa's east coast and parts of the Indian subcontinent, reflecting Oman's strong maritime heritage.

1820 AD: First treaty between Oman and the British to ensure a “cessation of plunder and piracy by land and sea” is signed

1737 AD: Persians invade.

Al Bu Said dynasty

1749 AD: Persians are driven out the Al Bu Said dynasty comes to power, and continues to rule to this day.

1913 AD: Control of the country splits. The interior is ruled by Ibadite imams and the coastal areas by the sultan. Under a British-brokered agreement in 1920 the sultan recognises the autonomy of the interior.

Muscat reveals Arab, Portuguese, African influences

• 1508-1650: Controlled by Portuguese
• Ringed by mountains and overlooked by forts
• Population (metro area): 540,000

1954 AD onwards - Clashes resume between imamite forces, seeking an independent state in the interior, and those of the sultan.

1959 AD          Sultan Said bin Taimur regains control of the interior. His rule is characterised by a feudal and isolationist approach.

1964 AD - Oil reserves are discovered; extraction begins in 1967.

1965/75 - Rebellion in the southern region of Dhofar in which leftist forces are pitted against government troops. The uprising is finally put down with the help of soldiers from Jordan and Iran.

1970 AD - The sultan is overthrown by his son in a bloodless coup. Sultan Qaboos bin Said begins a liberalisation and modernisation programme.

1981 AD - Oman is a founding member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

1997 AD - Sultan Qaboos decrees that women can stand for election to - and vote for - the majlis al-shura or Consultative Council. Two women are duly elected to the body.

1999 AD - Oman and neighbouring United Arab Emirates (UAE) sign a border agreement defining most of their disputed common frontier.

2001 AD October - Large-scale British-Omani military exercises in the Omani desert coincide with the launch of strikes against the Taleban in Afghanistan.

2002 AD November - Sultan Qaboos extends voting rights to all citizens over the age of 21. Voters were previously chosen from among tribal leaders, intellectuals and businessmen.

2003 AD October - First elections to the Consultative Council, the majlis al-shura, in which all citizens over the age of 21 can vote. There is little change to the political make-up of the house.

2004 AD March - Sultan appoints Oman's first female minister with portfolio.

2005 AD January - Nearly 100 suspected Islamists are arrested; 31 Omanis are subsequently convicted of trying to overthrow the government but are pardoned in June.

2006 AD January - Oman and the US sign a free trade deal. The agreement is approved by the US Congress and Senate in June and July.