Sultan Haitham bin Tariq bin Taymur Al Said today performed the ninth oath of authority for Oman, in a smooth transfer of power following the revelation of the will of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who died last night.

The new sultan is the cousin of Sultan Qaboos, and he is from the first founder of the Busaidid state (Imam Ahmad bin Saeed - in 1741) whose family takes over the rule of the country.

Haitham bin Tariq Al Saeed took the legal oath before the Council of Oman in an emergency session on Saturday morning, the Sultan of Oman, according to the Basic Law of the State.

He was born in 1954, and worked several times as a special envoy to the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

According to local media sources, the new sultan previously held various positions, where he was the head of the main committee for the future vision of "Oman 2040", and Minister of Heritage and Culture from February 2002 until January 11 this year.

He also held various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the Secretary General, the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and a Minister Plenipotentiary.

He took over the presidency of the Omani Football Association between 1983 and 1986, and chaired the organizing committee for the second Asian Beach Games held in Muscat 2010.

Unlike the late Sultan, who had no children or siblings inheriting the throne, the new Sultan Haitham bin Tariq bin Taymur had four children, including two daughters.

According to the Omani newspaper Al-Ru'ya, the new sultan has Dhi Yazan, Balarab, Thuraya and Umaima, his wife Ahd bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidiya, and his mother Shawana bint Hammoud bin Ahmed Al Busaidia.

As for his brothers, they are eight: Talal, Asaad, Qais, Shihab, Adham, Faris, Kamila and Amal.

The designation of Haitham bin Tariq bin Taymur Al Said Sultan of the country came after the invitation of the Omani Defense Council, the royal family to determine the successor of Sultan Qaboos, who ruled the country for nearly five decades.

"Today, Saturday, the Defense Council received a generous response from the Royal Family Council," the Defense Council, which includes senior officers and officials, and who is entrusted with inviting the family to determine the caliph, said in a statement.

According to Article 6 of the Basic Law of the State, the Royal Family Council, within three days of the vacancy of the position of Sultan, determines who the jurisdiction will pass to. If the Family Council does not agree on choosing a Sultan for the country, the Defense Council will participate with the heads of the State Council, the Shura Council, and the President of the Supreme Court The oldest of two of his deputies confirmed that the Sultan had referred in his letter to the family council.

And the system of government in the Sultanate of Oman according to Article 5 "Sultans are hereditary in males from the descendants of Sayyid Turki bin Saeed bin Sultan, and it is stipulated that who chooses for the jurisdiction of rule among them must be a rational Muslim and a legitimate son of Omani Muslim parents."