Muscat: Oman's Culture Minister Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was on Saturday named as the successor of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said, who died at the age of 79 after ruling the Arab country for nearly five decades. Haitham bin Tariq al-Said took the oath of office on Saturday after a meeting of the Royal Family Council. The former Minister is a cousin of Qaboos, the last Sultan of the Middle East, who had no heir or a designated successor.

The official Omani agency ONA announced the news early on Saturday in a message without providing details of the causes of the demise of the Sultan, who travelled to Belgium last month for a medical check-up. "With great sorrow and deep sadness... the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who passed away on Friday," it said.