ABSTRACT
The development of political institutions is a twentieth-century phenomenon in Oman. Throughout Omani history the governments of both sultans and imams were limited to the ruler, one or two advisers, governors or walis in the major towns who were assisted by qadis, and tribal levies raised during times of military necessity. During the twentieth century this structure began to undergo fundamental change in Muscat as the British became increasingly concerned about the survival of the sultanate. The sultanate's income came primarily from customs revenues and the zakat levied on agricultural produce and various subsidies and loans provided by the British. When the pathetic Taimur was finally permitted to retire in 1931 and was formally succeeded by his son Sa'id in the following year, the government underwent few changes. Perhaps the most dramatic change in Omani politics since 1970 was the creation in October 1981 of the State Consultative Council (SCC).
