<P> The Portuguese maintained a hold on Muscat for over a century, despite challenges from Persia and a bombardment of the town by the Ottoman Turks in 1546 . The Turks twice captured Muscat from the Portuguese, in the Capture of Muscat (1552) and 1581 - 88 . The election of Nasir bin Murshid Al - Ya'rubi as Imam of Oman in 1624 changed the balance of power again in the region, from the Persians and the Portuguese to local Omanis . On August 16, 1648 the Imam dispatched an army to Muscat, which captured and demolished the high towers of the Portuguese, weakening their grip over the town . Decisively, in 1650, a small but determined body of the Imam's troops attacked the port at night, forcing an eventual Portuguese surrender on January 23, 1650 . A civil war and repeated incursions by the Persian king Nader Shah in the 18th century destabilised the region, and further strained relations between the interior and Muscat . This power vacuum in Oman led to the emergence of the Al Bu Sa'id dynasty, which has ruled Oman ever since . </P> <P>--Afonso de Albuquerque, after the fall of Muscat, in 1507 . </P> <P> Muscat's naval and military supremacy was re-established in the 19th century by Said bin Sultan, who signed a treaty with U.S. President Andrew Jackson's representative Edmund Roberts on September 21, 1833 . Having gained control over Zanzibar, in 1840 Said moved his capital to Stone Town, the ancient quarter of Zanzibar City; however, after his death in 1856, control over Zanzibar was lost when it became an independent sultanate under his sixth son, Majid bin Said (1834 / 5--1870), while the third son, Thuwaini bin Said, became the Sultan of Oman . During the second half of the 19th century, the fortunes of the Al Bu Sa ` id declined and friction with the Imams of the interior resurfaced . Muscat and Muttrah were attacked by tribes from the interior in 1895 and again in 1915 . A tentative ceasefire was brokered by the British, which gave the interior more autonomy . However, conflicts among the disparate tribes of the interior, and with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman continued into the 1950s, and eventually escalated into the Dhofar Rebellion (1962). The rebellion forced the Sultan Said bin Taimur to seek the assistance of the British in quelling the uprisings from the interior . The failed assassination attempt of April 26 1966 on Said bin Taimur led to the further isolation of the Sultan, who had moved his residence from Muscat to Salalah, amidst the civilian armed conflict . On July 23, 1970, Qaboos bin Said, son of the Sultan, staged a bloodless coup d'état in the Salalah palace with the assistance of the British, and took over as ruler . </P> <P> With the assistance of the British, Qaboos bin Said put an end to the Dhofar uprising and consolidated disparate tribal territories . He renamed the country the Sultanate of Oman (called Muscat and Oman hitherto), in an attempt to end to the interior's isolation from Muscat . Qaboos enlisted the services of capable Omanis to fill positions in his new government, drawing from such corporations as Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). New ministries for social services such as health and education were established . The construction of Mina Qaboos, a new port conceived initially by Sa ` id bin Taimur, was developed during the early days of Qaboos' rule . Similarly, a new international airport was developed in Muscat's Seeb district . A complex of offices, warehouses, shops and homes transformed the old village of Ruwi in Muttrah into a commercial district . The first five - year development plan in 1976 emphasised infrastructural development of Muscat, which provided new opportunities for trade and tourism in the 1980s--1990s, attracting migrants from around the region . On June 6, 2007, Cyclone Gonu hit Muscat causing extensive damage to property, infrastructure and commercial activity . Muscat might hold the 2016 Arab League Summit . </P>

When did muscat become the capital of oman