Tuesday, 12 January 2020, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said issued a decree establishing an agnatic primogeniture order of succession, thereby making his eldest son, HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said the country’s very first Crown Prince of Oman in history.
Under Article 5 of the new Fundamental Law, the Sultanic throne “is passed on to the eldest of his sons, then to the eldest of the latter’s sons, and so forth”.
Oman’s constitution sets forth that the sultan ought to be a member of the ruling family as well as “Muslim, mature, rational and the legitimate son of Omani Muslim parents”.
Sultan Haitham took the throne in January 2020 after the death of his cousin Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who sired no children and designated no successor publicly during his 49-year reign.
Haitham’s move to designate a crown prince could strengthen the predictability of Omani politics, following the final years of Qaboos’s rule, when secrecy about the succession raised concerns for stability.
HH Sayyid Theyazin occupies the post of Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth since August 2020. He is the eldest son of HM Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, and HM Sultana Ahad bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidiya, a daughter of a former Undersecretary at the Ministry of Justice, Awqaf, and Islamic Affairs and former Governor of Musandam. He has three siblings, Sayyid Bilarab, Sayyida Thuraya and Sayyida Omaima.
Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (b. Muscat, 21 August 1990), a diplomat who entered the Omani diplomatic service in 2013, and had been serving at the Omani Embassy in London (accredited to St James’s Court & Ireland) since 2014. He holds a Master’s degree in History from Oxford Brooks University.
Crown Prince Theyazin is engaged to his cousin, HH Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab, daughter of Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said. Sayyida Meyyan is an interior designer, and talented artist who has mastered the art of photography and digital art.
The House of Said rules since 1744 over Muscat, Oman and erstwhile over Zanzibar. Albeit the succession has normally gone down from father to son, there was no formal heir apparent until modifications in the Basic Law of the State.
For further information:
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Oman: https://omanportal.gov.om/wps/wcm/connect/en/site/home/gov/gov1/gov5governmentorganizations/mosa/mosa
