The contacts and relationships between Oman and Germany have a long and rich history. This relationship began when several German travellers visited Oman in the 17th Century and they were of different quality: personal, economic, diplomatic, scientific and cultural background. To understand these relations and contacts better, it seems helpful to arrange them within the historical background. In texts that were written by diplomats, naturalists and photographers, it looks at German representations of Oman as a place, people and culture. Specifically, it is devoted to the travellers accounts of five German travellers who visited Oman in different periods of time, motivated by different purposes.
The first traveller is Engelbert Kaempfer, a doctor and naturalist, who arrived in Muscat in 1688. Though he stayed for three days only, he found time to make detailed notes and some sketches.
Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815), a German pioneer traveller in Arabia, visited Oman in 1765. In 1760, he joined the scientific expedition sent by Frederick V of Denmark to explore Egypt, Syria and Arabia. His journey is told in his work 'Travels through Arabia, and other countries in the East'.
Friedrich Rosen, a diplomat with a Doctorate in Persian and Hindustani, visited Muscat in 1887. His account of the city is included in his book: 'Oriental Memoirs of a German Diplomatist'. Max Baron von Oppenheim (1857-1909), a diplomat and archaeologist, stopped in Muscat in 1893, during his journey from Bandar Abbas to Zanzibar. He provides us with an important picture of the Sultan’s palace in the last decade of the 19th century. And Hermann Burchardt, a German photographer who travelled widely not only in the Arab Middle East and North Africa, but also Turkey and Persia.
In 2006, in a volume with texts: 'Along the Gulf from Basra to Muscat' includes Burchardt’s journey in 1904. He called Musandum “The Arabian Norway” due to its steep cliffs and many inlets falling deeply into the sea (Alhajri, 2008).
Under the reign of Sultan Said bin Sultan (1804-1856), Oman reached the zenith of its political domination and commercial development. As a real “trade empire”, it controlled commerce, trade, and shipping in the whole of the Indian Ocean. In addition, it maintained contacts with India, China, the Molucca Islands, the USA, Great Britain, France and last but not least, with Germany (Busch, 1976).
It is reported that in 1820, a treaty already existed between Oman and the Hasna town of Bremen, Germany, which guaranteed the Sultan the exclusive right to import a special shiny cloth (chintz), which was produced in Apolda, Germany. It was mainly used for the masks of the Bedouin women. During that time, several German merchants visited the markets of Muscat and Zanzibar, where they found a rich selection of all kinds of oriental, Asian and African goods.
In 1859, an agreement of friendship, trade and shipping was signed between Oman and the Hasna towns of Hamburg, Bremen and Luebeck (scholz, 1990).
Oman and Germany have successfully continued enjoying the rich historical connections and the diplomatic contacts. These events began in 1967, with the exchange of official letters between Sultan Said bin Taimur and Willy Brandt, German Foreign Minister, to establish consular relations followed by diplomatic relations in 1972. And became physically visible with the opening of the embassies in 1975 in Muscat and Bonn (West Germany).
In 1970s, Oman started economic and technical experience and established contacts with several German construction companies, banks and scholars. Oman was also interested in promoting its cultural richness and supporting scientific studies in geography, botany, agriculture, history, and others.
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