MUSCAT, Oman: HM Sultan Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimour has taken the oath of allegiance as the new Sultan of Oman after the death of longtime ruler HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Sultan Qaboos, who ruled the Gulf country since 1970, died on Friday at the age of 79 after a long battle with illness.

State television said authorities had opened a letter by Qaboos naming his successor, without elaborating, before announcing Sultan Haitham bin Tariq as the new ruler.

A cousin of Sultan Qaboos, Sultan Haitham is a career diplomat whose role as Minister of Heritage and Culture helped project Omani influence.

Born in 1954, Haitham bin Tariq graduated from the Oxford University Foreign Service Programme (FSP) in 1979.

He served in several positions in the Gulf state, including the head of a committee that forged the country’s vision for 2040. He also served as the Minister of Heritage and Culture from 2002 until January 2020.

He was in Doha for the opening of the National Museum of Qatar in March 2019.

The new ruler previously spent 16 years in various roles with the country’s Foreign Ministry. He also served as the ministry’s undersecretary for political affairs and its secretary-general.

Sultan Haitham was the head of the Omani Football Federation between 1983 and 1986, and also served as special envoy for Sultan Qaboos.

According to article 6 of the Omani Basic Law, the royal family had three days to determine the successor and if they failed to agree, the person chosen by Qaboos in a letter addressed to the family would be chosen to rule the country.