Oman´s history goes back to the very dawn of civilization. The coastal area fronting on the Gulf of Oman is believed to have been the land known to the Sumerians as Magan, from which as early as 3,000 B.C. they were importing copper.

Remains of settlements and distinctive beehive tombs are the legacy of this earliest known culture. The Arab history of the country begins in the 2nd century B.C., with the migration of tribal groups from the region of modern-day Yemen.

The Oman is were among the first of the peoples of the Arabian Peninsula to embrace Islam, doing so during the lifetime of the Prophet in the 7th century A.D. The centuries that followed were a golden age, with Omani sailors and traders ranging from India to Africa.