1 Rial - Qaboos Environment Collection, Hoopoe

The Hoopoe holds unusual standing in the region — it appears in the Quran as the bird dispatched by Solomon to spy on the Queen of Sheba, giving it a cultural weight that made it a natural choice for a conservation-themed series issued under Sultan Qaboos, whose personal interest in environmental protection drove Oman's wildlife programs well before such concerns were fashionable in Gulf states.