ABSTRACT
While Great Britain was attending to the maintenance and reinforcement of her presence in the region, the history of Oman was shaken by turmoil and dissension which no one at the time could have suspected would give way to an unprecedented recovery. In the depths of the economic stagnation and bankruptcy of the political regime, the Ibadi ideal was more alive than ever. So much so that it would be no exaggeration to say that, through all its ordeals, Oman survived as a nation, thanks to the alternative offered by the Ibadhite dream. So, when a small group of respected and determined personalities had undertaken to revive the dream, the Ibadi imama enjoyed a dazzling success, the scale of which amazed all observers, starting with the British. All the old demons that had been plaguing Oman for decades caved in and withdrew before the reawakened authority of an imama held in high esteem by all; tribal squabbles, the spirit of clan and faction, foreign intrusion were so many scourges for which the restored imama brought rapid and uncontested remedies.
