Hopefully this won't take them backwards...

Oman's Sultan Qaboos dies at 79
Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman has died at 79, Omani state media announced Saturday. No cause of death has been confirmed, but he had reportedly been ill for some time. Qaboos was the longest-serving ruler in the Arab world. He was an absolute monarch, who overthrew his "reclusive and ultra-conservative" father in a bloodless coup in 1970 and went on to transform Oman into a modern state. Dissenting voices were silenced throughout his reign, including for a brief moment during the Arab Spring in 2011, but Qaboos was considered popular both in and out of the country. On the international front, he was known for his ability to facilitate talks between countries, including the U.S. and Iran in 2013. Qaboos had no children or brothers, so his cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said will take over. [BBC, Al Jazeera]