Muscat: Oman announced on Saturday that culture minister Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has been named as the new ruler of the Arabian country and the successor to longtime ruler Sultan Qaboos.
The announcement came as Omanis lined the streets of the capital Muscat to catch a glimpse of the motorcade carrying the body of Sultan Qaboos bin Said who died hours earlier at the age of 79.
Qaboos was the Middle East's longest-ruling monarch seizing power in a 1970 palace coup.
He was known internationally for his diplomatic balancing in the volatile Persian Gulf.
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The ruler often served as a facilitator of talks between adversaries Iran and the US.
Al Said who was serving as the Minister of National Heritage and Culture often played an important diplomatic role representing Oman abroad and welcoming Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla upon their arrival to the country for a visit in 2016.
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