OMAN: A CENTURY OF OIL EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT

This is the history of the search for, and eventual discovery of, oil in Oman, from the first geological survey in 1925 by George Lees and his party through to modern times. For many years survey work was hampered by disputes between the tribes and the Sultan. Then bad luck with the Fahud-1 well in 1957 meant that it was not until 1963 that oil was finally struck in the Natih field. Oil quickly became the mainstay of the Omani economy. This is the slightly edited text of the lecture which he delivered to the Society on 20 February 2008.