The Omani society

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The Omanis' long tradition of international trade has left an indelible mark on today's society. The skin colour of the Omanis alone varies from black to white in all shades, providing meaningful and obvious testimony to their eventful cosmopolitan past.

In addition to the descendants of the North and South Arabian tribes, the Hinawiy and Ghafiriy, who make up the majority of the population, many Omanis with African blood in their veins now live in the country again. They are generally called Zanzibaris and, due to their educational advantage in the early years of the new state, made up the majority of technocrats in the modern state structure. The East African Bantu language Swahili is still cultivated and kept alive among the Zanzibaris.

The mountain tribes of the south speak the early Semitic language Jabali, while the Bedouins along the border with Saudi Arabia and Yemen speak Mahri.

The inhabitants of the small fishing village of Kumzar on the Strait of Hormuz, the Kumazarah, are believed to be immigrants from Baluchistan and speak a Persian dialect, Kumzari. Baluchis were welcome mercenaries in Oman and played an important role in the army until the change of power in 1970. But even as workers, they found better earning opportunities here than in their homeland on the Makran coast of Pakistan. Their descendants speak Baluchi.

Many small Islamic and Hindu communities that were persecuted in the past because of their religion have found a new home in Oman.

About 30% of Oman's inhabitants are guest workers, many of whom come from India and Pakistan and speak Hindi and Urdu. However, there are also quite a few from Asia and Europe.

What unites the many ethnic groups today is the abstract concept of ‘Omani citizenship’, which is probably the most important foundation for the modern nation state.