Oman National Day — 20 November
Oman celebrates its National Day every year on 20 November, marking the events of 1744.
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Why 20 November?
Oman's National Day falls on 20 November, a recently changed date. Royal Decree 15/2025, issued by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in January 2025, moved the observance from 18 November, which had been the birthday of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and refocused it on 1744: the year Imam Ahmad bin Said Al Busaidi unified the country and founded the Al Busaidi dynasty. The holiday now spans 20 and 21 November, though the days off are set each year by royal order and often shift to the end of the month. Oman was long a maritime power, its reach once extending to Zanzibar on the East African coast. The flag combines red, long the colour of the Omani people, with white for peace and the Imamate, and green for the fertile Jebel Akhdar highlands; in the upper hoist sits the national emblem of crossed swords and a khanjar dagger. Sultan Qaboos, who came to power in July 1970, is still revered for the Nahda, the renaissance that opened Oman to schools, hospitals and modern institutions.
Learn what every colour and symbol means on the Oman flag page.
Quick facts
- Date
- 20 November (every year)
- Official name
- National Day
- Commemorates
- 1744
- Public holiday
- Yes, in Oman