The Sultanate of Oman was been a stable and peaceful country in the Middle East since its formation in 1970. Under the leadership of the Sultan, it embraced modernization and tolerance while respecting its ancient traditions. While the First Sultan recently passed away, the transition of power was peaceful. The Sultan was loved by his people, and the banknotes show this. A portrait of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said can is seen on nearly every Oman Rial banknote dating back to 1977. It is nice to see his aging through the portraits on the banknotes.

Nakhal Fort | Oman |
Source: AS

First Oman Rial Banknotes

The First series of Oman Rial banknotes date to 1970 by Bradbury & Wilkinson. The entire series has an amazingly well desig with clear cultural themes. The 1970 5 Rial (P-5) shows the Omani crest on the front and a fortress on the reverse. Like nearly all Bradbury banknotes, this is a beautiful design. 

Oman 5 Rials | 1970 | P-5 |
Source: Banknote World Educational

The 1987 ½ Oman Rial (P-25) printed by De La Rue continues the general color and themes of the prior series. However this one is especially nice because it shows a detailed map of the area around the government buildings. But it also retains the security design and color blocks typical of English banknotes.

Modern Day Banknotes

Oman 10 Rials | 2010 | P-45 |
Source: Banknote World

In 2010 Rial banknotes became much more colorful and the portrait of the Sultan became much more vivid and life like. I especially like the purple banknotes including the 50 Rial (P-47a). Geisecke & Devrient was not the preferred printer. It appears that Oman would frequently introduce new overt security features from G&D and use their new substrate – Hybrid.  To celebrate the 45th Anniversary of country’s founding, Oman printed a commemorative 1 Rial in 2015. 

Oman 50 Rials | 2020 | P-NEW | Sultan Qaboos
Source: Banknote World

The Bank of Oman had planned to issue a new 50 Rial to commemorate 50 years of ruling by the Sultan. While the Sultan passed away before the issue date, the Bank did issue the note as a celebration of his life. This note is from August 2020. It has a very good design with the latest security features.

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