Sultan Qaboos will make his visit to Iran on Tuesday 4th. It has been scheduled a few weeks ago, but was postponed.
Iran is an important neighbour of Oman and the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be taking the oath for a new second four-year term.
Hormozgān province, which His Majesty will visit, is an interesting choice.
Today Bandar Abbas, main city of Hormozgān, is Irans main Naval Base. In the past Oman ruled the town of Bandar Abbas (named after Shah Abbas ) in the 18th and 19th c .
The links go further.
Visited by Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta – the Island of Hormuz was the principal town of the Kingdom of Hormuz (an Omani/Arab Kingdom) whose second City was the, now ruined, town of Qalhat in Oman .
Persia has ruled parts of Oman, most notably under the Sassinids and later under Nadir Shah
So Sultan Qaboos will be in Iran on the day of the Oath by the new President. He will be the first Head of State and probably major world figure to visit Iran, since the recent elections – perhaps that was the original intention.
