Muttrah Corniche Mosque in Oman- Photo by Anfal Shamsudeen on

10 Most Famous People from Oman


 

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Culturally speaking, the culture of Oman basically describes the cultural aspects of people living in Oman, which is deeply rooted and defined by the religion of Islam.

Oman has its own unique subsect of Islam, known as Ibadhism, however other strands of Islam such as Sunni and Shi’a are also practised.

1. Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman

Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman- Author; U.S. Department of State-

Qaboos bin Said Al Said falls under the category of a noble person. He is the Sultan of Oman and its Dependencies.

He rose to power after successfully overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur, in a palace coup in 1970.

He is the 14th-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Sa’idi dynasty.

2. Isla Fisher

Isla Fisher attending the World Film Premier- Author; Richard Goldschmidt-

Isla Lang Fisher is an actress who began her acting career on Australian television. She was born to Scottish parents in Oman and raised in Australia.

She appeared on the children’s adventure series Bay Cove, and the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach, before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away.

She is well known for her comedic roles in Scooby-Doo, I Heart Huckabees, Wedding Crashers, Hot Rod, Definitely, Maybe, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Rango, Bachelorette, and the fourth season of Arrested Development.

In 2013, Fisher starred as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby and as Henley Reeves in ‘Now You See Me.’

3. Amad Al Hosni

Amad Al Hosni- Author; Yassers2012-

Amad Ali Suleiman Al-Hosni commonly known as Amad Al-Hosni is an Omani footballer. He last played for Al-Ahli Jeddah in the Saudi Professional League.

He plays for the Oman national team and is always able to represent his country well. He is a celebrated and respected player.

4. Fatma Al-Nabhani

Fatma Al-Nabhani- Author; Priyankar2014-

Fatma Al-Nabhani is a professional Omani female tennis player. She is of the native ethnic Arab origin and a member of the Oman Fed Cup team.

On 4th October 2010, she reached her highest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles ranking of 362 whilst her best doubles ranking was 394 on 29 October 2012.

5. Hashim Saleh

Afootball match- Photo by Waldemar Brandt on

Officially Hashim Saleh Mohammed Al-Balushi although commonly known as Hashim Saleh, is an Omani footballer who plays for Dhofar.

Hashim has been fighting for a place on the first squad of the national team as a forward, but over the years players such as Hassan Rabia, Badar Al-Maimani and Amad Al-Hosni have made it difficult for him to make many appearances.

Even though he has not yet managed to make as many appearances as Badar or Amad, he has featured in many games as a substitute.

In the 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations, he scored a spectacular goal against a stunned Kuwait, which was thought by many as “the best goal in the competition”.

He was also in the squad for the 16th Gulf Cup in Kuwait and in the squad for the 19th Gulf Cup in Muscat.

6. Sneha Ullal

Sneha Ullal- Author; Bollywood Hungama- Wikimedia

Sneha Ullal is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Tollywood and Bollywood films. She was born and bought up in  Muscat, Oman to a Tulu Devadiga father from Mangalore and a Sindhi mother.

She is best known for her role in the Telugu film Ullasamga Utsahamga and Simha. However, her journey in the acting industry was not that smooth.

At one point she had to take a break from Bollywood as it was feared that she was too young. She thus needed time to be more mature and experienced enough to work in movies, hence the break.

7. Khalil ibn Ahmad

statue of Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi in Basra- Author; 丕丨賲丿 賲丨賲賵丿 禺囟賷乇-

Abu 鈥楢bd ar-Rahm膩n al-Khal墨l ibn Ahmad ibn 鈥楢mr ibn Tammam al-Far膩h墨d墨 al-Azdi al-Yahmadi, more commonly known as Al-Farahidi or simply Al-Khal墨l, was one of the earliest Arab lexicographers and philologists. Given how mouthful his name is, Al-Khalil should suffice.

His best-known contributions are ‘Kitab al-‘Ayn’ which is regarded as the first dictionary of the Arabic language, the current standard for Harakat, and the invention of al-‘arud, musicology and metre.

His study also formed the basis for prosody in the Persian, Turkish and Urdu languages as well.

He was considered the “shining star” of the Basran school of Arabic grammar and a legitimate polymath who was not only a scholar but a genuine man of authentic ideas.

8. Nitya Vidyasagar

Sound system- Image by spoiu23 from

Nitya Vidyasagar is an Indian-American actress best known for her role as “Leela” on Sesame Street.

Vidyasagar was born in Muscat, Oman on July 11th but grew up in India and the United States.

She received a BFA with Honors in Drama Tisch School of the Arts and a Minor in Music from the College of Arts and Sciences, New York University.

Vidyasagar is the first Indian-American cast member of Sesame Street which has been regarded as an achievement of a high caliber.

9. Abdullah Al Hilali

Abdullah Al Hilali- Author; Steve Baty-

Abdullah Al Hilali is an Omani association football referee for FIFA, and the Asian Football Confederation.

He has performed at many international football competitions since 2002 including the 2008 Summer Olympics, the AFC Champions League 2009 and the World Cup 2010 qualifiers.

Being a former soldier in the Omani army, in 2008 Al Hilali became the first Omani to officiate at the Olympic Games in Beijing. During the Beijing Olympics, he officiated the Men’s First Round Group A match between Argentina and Serbia during which he sent off Dusko Tosic.

In 2006 he was one of the referees for the AFC Youth Championship 2006 held in India.

He is named as one of 54 candidates to officiate the 2010 World Cup. On January 28, 2009, Al Hilali was the referee for the Yemen-Hong Kong qualifier for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification.

On June 10, 2009, he was the referee for the Australia-Bahrain world cup qualifiers. He resides in Nakhal.

His achievements over the years are highly regarded and respected.

10. Ghalib Bin Ali

A portrait of Ghalib Alhinai, published on cover page of Sawt Oman Magazine, August 1962- Author; Sawt Oman Magazine, August 1962-

Ghalib Ali Al Hinai was the last elected Imam of the Imamate of Oman. Since 1954, he led the Imamate of Oman in Nizwa and Oman proper in the Jebel Akhdar revolt against Sultan Said Bin Taimur’s attack on his lands.

The war lasted 5 years until the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces, aided by colonial British soldiers from the Special Air Service, had put down the Jebel Akhdar revolt in 1959, and Imam Ghalib Al Hinai managed to escape to Saudi Arabia.

He continued for a short time to lead a temporary government-in-exile from Dammam, Saudi Arabia while the fighting still continued in Oman. He continued to receive many visitors from Oman up until his death and was deeply respected by the people of Oman.

He was known for his faithful adherence to his religion and his generosity. He died on 29th November 2009 at the age of 96 or 101 in Dammam.

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