Long before Oman became the modern country we know today, its land was inhabited by people who lived between the desert and the mountains in an arid world full of mysteries. The history of Oman has its roots in ancient times when the first nomadic tribes began to settle along the coasts and in the internal highlands.
Already in the third millennium BC, Oman was known in the Near East by the name of Magan or Makkan. It was a land rich in copper and this precious metal was extracted from the mountains of the north and then traded with the great civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Omani ships sailed the Persian Gulf loaded with copper, incense and precious stones. They crossed ancient routes and brought distant peoples into contact.
Around the second millennium BC, Oman also became part of the incense routes. This scented resin was highly sought after by temples and palaces of kings throughout antiquity and was collected especially in the south of Oman in the region of Dhofar here grows the Boswellia plant that produces the most valuable incense the incense trade made Oman a crossroads of cultures and a land coveted by merchants and travellers
With the arrival of iron and new technologies the country continued to grow even if not always under a single leadership often the territory was divided between tribal clans and small local kingdoms but the Omani culture remained strong united by the bond with the sea and the value of its natural wealth
During the first millennium BC the Persians began to take an interest in Oman in particular in its strategic position between the Indian Ocean and the Gulf the territory was partly influenced by the Achaemenid Empire that considered it important for trade and navigation but the resistance of the local tribes prevented direct and lasting control
In the following centuries it was also the Greeks of Alexander the Great and then the Romans who looked with interest at Oman even if they never conquered it directly their trade routes still passed near the Omani coasts and the relationships with these civilizations They left traces in the language, culture and art
It was only with the arrival of Islam in the seventh century AD that Oman began a new historical phase but its ancient roots remained alive in the stories in the names of the mountains in the deserts and in the villages where even today you can find remains of the ancient towers and stone tombs that tell a story thousands of years long
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