Muscat: Oman's Culture Minister Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was on Saturday named as the successor of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said, who died at the age of 79 after ruling the Arab country for nearly five decades.
Haitham bin Tariq al-Said took the oath of office on Saturday after a meeting of the Royal Family Council, the BBC quoted the government as saying. The former Minister is a cousin of Qaboos, the last Sultan of the Middle East who had no heir or a designated successor.
The official Omani agency ONA announced the news early Saturday in a short message without providing details of the causes of the demise of the Sultan, who travelled to Belgium last month for a medical check-up, reports Efe news.
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