Britain, the Middle East, and Oman

This chapter examines the development of the Anglo-Omani relationship from 1798, and the factors which led the British to establish a position of informal influence over the Sultanate of Oman. It also traces the rise and fall of Britain’s empire in the Middle East, and the evolution of Anglo-Omani defence ties with specific reference to the July 1958 treaty between Harold Macmillan’s government and Sultan Said bin Taimur, and the creation of the British-led Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF). It also analyses the factors leading to the outbreak of the Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF) insurgency in April 1963.