Muscat: Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimur guided the country during his reign with global-looking policies that hastened modernisation and broad political influence, said UK’s Independent newspaper.

In a report published by the newspaper, it said that the Sultanate shunned the extravagances under Sultan Qaboos’s rule, stressing that Muscat retained its traditional character and architecture as much as possible, which distinguished it from other Gulf capitals.

“Qaboos was perhaps the most enigmatic figure in the fraternity of gulf leaders. He mostly eschewed international travel in favour of his palaces in Muscat and Salalah, a southern port with lush flora fed by the Indian Ocean monsoons. Qaboos shared little of his personal or political life in public, but saw the priorities for his nation as education, greater participation of women in civic affairs and diversification of its oil-based economy,” the newspaper added.