Sultan Qaboos, 79, Is Dead; Built Oman Into Prosperous Oasis of Peacemaking The longest-serving Arab ruler, Qaboos pulled his nation from poverty and brokered quiet talks between global foes. Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman during a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Beit Al Baraka Royal Palace in Muscat, Oman, in 2019.Credit...Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool photo, via Associated Press Published Jan. 10, 2020Updated Jan. 14, 2020 BEIRUT, Lebanon — Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, who over nearly five decades in power transformed his Persian Gulf kingdom from an isolated enclave into a developed nation known for brokering quiet talks between global foes, has died, the Omani government announced on Saturday. He was 79.