In December 2022, it was announced that His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s ascension to power on January 11th will be celebrated as a national holiday in Oman, according to Royal Decree No 88/2022. 

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq took over as the ruler of the country on January 11th 2020, succeeding the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. 

Prior to becoming sultan, Haitham had been a long-serving member of the cabinet of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, his cousin. 

He was Minister of Heritage and Culture from 2002 to 2020. 

After the death of Sultan Qaboos, Haitham was named by the royal family and Qaboos’s will as Sultan of Oman the next day and took an oath before an emergency session of the Council of Oman in Al-Bustan.