Showing posts with label Sultan's birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sultan's birthday. Show all posts

July 15 – His Majesty the Sultan's Birthday in Brunei

Posted on July 15, 2018

Since today is a Sunday, the tiny Southeast Asian nation of Brunei will be on holiday tomorrow, Monday, in honor of the sultan. But today is the actual birthday of His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah. 

Not only is Hassanal Bolkiah the sultan and the head of state - with "emergency powers" under martial law, but that's been ever since 1962, so not what we normally think of as an emergency! - but he is also the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Defense Minister.

So that makes Bolkiah an absolute ruler - a dictator, of sorts - which is unusual for modern monarchs. There are some problems with absolute power, and in Brunei that includes reports of discrimination against women, restrictions of the freedoms of speech and press, restricted labor rights, and more. 

However, because the nation is rich, with its biggest resources being natural gas and oil, citizens have free medical care and schooling. The nation is ranked as the fifth richest in the world (per capita, which means per person). 

Here are some cool places to visit in the nation:

Ulu Temburong National Park







Kampong Ayer - the Water Village


Pantai Meragang


Labi

Tasek Merimbun


Also on this date:













Plan ahead:


Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And here are my Pinterest boards for:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

November 19 – Oman's Sultan's Birthday

Posted on November 19, 2016


In Oman, patriotism has a two-day celebration in November. Yesterday, Oman celebrated its 1650 independence from Portugal, and today the nation celebrates the birthday of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said.

Born in 1940, Qaboos has been the sultan since he was 30 years old. I assumed that he became sultan when his father died or relinquished the crown, but actually Qaboos led a coup that removed his father from power!

That sounds bad, huh? I mean, why would Qaboos steal his father's crown and exile him to the United Kingdom?

Actually, it was a good move. Qaboos's father was Sultan Said bin Taimur. And Said may have suffered from sort of mental disorder near the end of his life. He apparently became a bit of a hermit, withdrawing from people and doing little to help his nation. When young Qaboos returned from the U.K., where he had gone to school and served in the British armed forces, Said put him under house arrest and arranged for his son to be able to see and talk to only a few people. And for the last 14 months before the coup, Said didn't see or speak to his son at all – even though they lived in the same palace!

Oman has a strategic position
on the Arabian peninsula.
In the meantime, Said's nation suffered. Lots of people didn't have enough to eat. The infant mortality rate was 75%! That means that three out of every four babies born died while still an infant! Almost nobody knew how to read and write, and there were only three schools in the whole nation. Heck, there were only six miles of paved road in the whole nation!

When Qaboos took over in 1970, he used the money from oil sales to modernize and develop the country. He was able to make his nation the “most improved” country in the world, according to the United Nations. And even though it has a fairly high-income economy, it also has a thriving tourism industry and a lively trade in fish, dates, and other agricultural products – so it is less likely to suffer from being too dependent on one non-renewable resource as most of its Arabic neighbors.

Check out Oman:
Ash Sharqiyah Region

Oman has several castles and forts

Musandam Dibba

Wadi-Shab

Wahiba Sands
Above and all further photos in this post
are taken in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
Grand Mosque

Also on this date:





















































Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And here are my Pinterest boards for:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)