The Ya'aruba Imamate: Oman's Forgotten Golden Age

Before the Busaidi dynasty, before Zanzibar cloves, before the Dhofar war — there was the Ya'aruba Imamate of the 17th century. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Oman rose from Portuguese occupation to become an unlikely maritime superpower. They trace the career of Imam Nasir bin Murshid al-Ya'arubi, who unified the interior and expelled the Portuguese from Muscat in 1650. The conversation follows his successor, Saif bin Sultan, who built a fleet from scratch and pushed the Portuguese all the way to East Africa. They visit the fortress of Nizwa, the imamate's capital, and the trading hub of Julfar (modern Ras Al Khaimah). Along the way, they touch on the 'Mombasa Siege' of 1698, where Fort Jesus fell to Omani forces after 33 months of blockade. The episode introduces the reader to the dhow-building traditions of Sur, the role of Ibadi Islam in shaping Omani identity, and the surprising alliance between the Ya'aruba and the English East India Company against a common enemy. A forgotten empire, a forgotten dynasty, a forgotten golden age — this is Oman before oil, before sultans, before the modern map. #Ya'aruba #Imamate #Oman #PortugueseEmpire #NasirBinMurshid #SaifBinSultan #FortJesus #Mombasa #Nizwa #Julfar #Dhow #IndianOcean #Ibadi #17thCentury #EastIndiaCompany #NavalHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo