"I have never known an Omani succumb to any stress-related ailments." These were the words of the British head of security in the sultanate's armed forces whom I met in January 1995 when I went to take up a teaching post in the Omani ministry of defence. In my own time there, I too never saw nor heard an angry Omani and I found the people unfailingly polite and courteous to visitors and expatriates. This will certainly be the experience of President McAleese, who is beginning a state visit to Oman this week, to mark the 30th anniversary of Sultan Qaboos's rule. The sultan's father, Said bin Taimur, was a feudal ruler widely regarded as reactionary and isolationist. Ousted in a bloodless coup supported by the British in 1970, he fled the country and spent the last two years of his life in Claridges Hotel, London. By that time oil had been discovered in Oman and commercial production had begun. Massive oil revenues had proved too much for the feudal exchequer system. The sultan insisted on keeping most of the oil money in large wooden chests at his palace in Muscat.
Slave trade
There were two schools in the country then, and only one hospital, and one of the few cars was owned by the sultan. He never drove it but had it hauled by his servants, who were, to all intents and purposes, slaves. The slave trade with East Africa had been abolished by the British in the 19th century with the sultan being paid a handsome stipend for the loss of his slaving revenues. When there were internal threats to the regime, the British provided military aid for him to reassert his rule.
Sultan Qaboos's rule, by contrast, has seen the establishment of a comprehensive health care and education system with excellent roads connecting all the major towns. Once-remote settlements now have clinics and schools and the children look well-nourished and cared for.
The capital area is spread over a wide area because of the mountainous nature of the terrain and is spotlessly clean due to the armies of Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Indians who can be seen with dustpans on the main roads. You are liable to a fine of 10 Omanirials (about £24) for driving a dirty car if stopped by the Royal Omani Police.
Although Oman is far more tolerant than its giant northwestern neighbour, Saudi Arabia, all Omanis are Muslims of the Ibadi sect. There is still, to Western eyes, sexual apartheid: when visiting an Omani house you never meet the womenfolk. The veil is seen rarely in the towns, though; women drive cars and work in schools, hospitals and offices, unlike their Saudi sisters.
Hospitality is lavish and at times almost overwhelming. On completion of courses the students would ask me for a picnic in the surrounding countryside. They went to extraordinary lengths preparing huge quantities of goat meat, fish and chicken. Then there was fruit, bread, sweets and coffee. The variety of fruit is amazing, considering Oman is largely desert and mountain. There are considerable reserves of underground water, ingeniously channelled over the ages for irrigation. Where there is water, almost anything will grow - dates in great abundance, papayas, mangos, bananas, grapes. Summer temperatures reach 45C and above. The winter, from October to early March, is a pleasant and dry 25 C.
Spectacular scenery
I acquired a second-hand four-wheel drive and, with sleeping bags and military camping beds, headed off to the Hajar al Gharbi mountains. The highest peak, Jebel Shams (mountain of the sun), is just over 3,000 metres high and offers spectacular scenery with sheer cliff faces of 1,000 metres. These mountains and the deserts, with their dirt tracks and steep climbs, offer great opportunities for exploring with a 4x4 vehicle. I covered the whole country from the straits of Hormuz in the North to the tropical monsoon province of Dhofar in the south. My 4.3-litre engine drank petrol, but this wasn't a worry, with fuel cheaper than water.
Many expatriates explore the dry river beds or wadis. In 1997, seven expatriates, including two Irish women, were drowned in a flash flood in the notorious Snake Gorge in Wadi Beni Awf. Travelling down the same gorge two years later, one could easily see that they hadn't had a chance. It was about 15 to 20 feet wide and the vertical cliffs on either side had been worn smooth by water. The surrounding mountains, known as the Jebel Akhdar (green), seem stark and bare to the Irish eye.
Oman has 1,000 miles of coastline and many splendid beaches. The water is always crystal clear and teems with marine life. Whales, as well as dolphins and turtles, are a common enough sight off the south coast, where we spent many weekends.
Good humour
The students, all naval personnel from ordinary seamen to NCOs, were ideal, in terms of discipline. We had to wade through mountains of requisition documents for naval logistics, but their innate good humour and politeness made the task more bearable. The officers' messes, supplied with English newspapers, were comfortable and the food excellent. But I found little in common with the British officers there and noticed that the copy of the Guardian was unread. I soon found myself agreeing with the assessment of another civilian officer of Irish origin that the messes could best be described as "hospices for the terminally boring".
The President will host a reception for the 200 or so Irish nationals who work in Oman. One of my friends has thought of asking her round for a plate of bacon and cabbage washed down with a glass of buttermilk, feeling she might welcome a real taste of home in those desert climes.