1 Rial - Qaboos Al-Jalali Fort

Issued to mark the 25th anniversary of Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said's accession, which followed his 1970 palace coup against his own father, Said bin Taimur. The elder sultan had ruled with extreme isolationism — banning radios, eyeglasses, and foreign travel — leaving Oman one of the most underdeveloped nations in the region despite growing oil revenues. Qaboos reversed course immediately, using petroleum income to build roads, hospitals, and schools within a single decade.

Al-Jalali Fort, constructed by the Portuguese in the 1580s on a rocky outcrop above Muscat harbour, served as a prison well into the twentieth century.