BBC News 6 July 2012 Last updated at 07:42 ET
Sultan Qaboos has been in power since 1970.
Oman has largely escaped the wave of unrest and revolution that swept across the Arab world since 2011, but recent protests about youth unemployment in the second city of Suhar and the arrest of 14 Omani rights activists in June point to rising discontent in the Gulf monarchy.
Suhar was the scene of protests in February 2011, when residents barred roads and marched calling for political reforms.
Police suppressed the demonstrations, and several were reported killed in the clashes. Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled Oman since 1970, allayed the unrest by reshuffling his cabinet and promising to create more jobs.
But the protests in Suhar earlier this month and the detention of dozens of Omani rights activists are signs of growing resentment at the slow pace at which the government has delivered on promises to get young people into work and reform the political system.
Broken promises?
About 200 Omanis took to the streets of the port city of Suhar on 1 July demonstrating against unemployment in the country, according to a report on news website Middle East Online.
Eyewitnesses told news sources that the protesters were carrying placards calling for more job opportunities, angry at the rate at which the government had followed up on its pledges to find work for jobseekers.
While Oman's state-controlled media outlets were not seen to report disturbances in Suhar, they did announce fresh plans to create more jobs for young people, particularly in the service industry.
The Oman Observer news website said that there were plans for "a host of comprehensive programmes which would help local youth secure jobs of their choice".
The programme will focus on boosting employment in Suhar and its surrounding area, where most of the unrest has taken place, and while there has been little comment on the protests on social media, the pledges to create jobs suggest the government is hoping to move quickly to prevent further protests.
To read the rest of this story, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18735955
