"Oasis of the Middle East" Oman by dansc0tt

Forget the scenes that the popular media puts upon you each day - this is about as far away from a war zone as you can get, neither is this the building site and commercial superstore that you can also find in the region. This is The Sultanate of Oman, a peaceful haven full of uber friendly locals with scenery and weather to relax all!

Ask any of the locals about their leader and they will give great praise. Many in the West might argue that it is difficult not to in an autocratic state, however take a deeper look at what Sultan Qaboos has achieved since he began his reign in 1970. Not only have the handful of schools and hospitals (there was one in 1970!) been dramatically increased (you can't seem to drive anywhere without seenig a modern school building!), but the Sultan has also recognised and promoted the fact that 50% of the "genius" of his country are female! Maybe this is not radical thinking to those in the West, however I'mnot so sure that Oman's neighbours would share such ideas!