Oman's Sultan Qaboos helps restore Scottish church

A Scottish church has received a large cash donation from an unlikely figure thousands of miles away in the Arabian Peninsular.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said served with the local army division the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) before becoming Oman's ruler in 1970.

Reverand Ian Barcroft of St Mary's Episcopal Church in Hamilton wrote to the sultan understanding his local ties, when he was looking for funds to restore historic relics in the house of worship.

The letter was sent to the 75-year-old ruler through the Oman embassy in London and shortly afterwards the church received a gift of more than $38,000 to go towards renovations.

The funds will be used to restore flags in the church's posession that were used by the 2nd Battalion of the Cameronians during a colonial campaign against the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa in 1879.

"These were flags that have been used in battle and were in need of repair [so] I decided to write to the Sultan, asking for his help," Barcroft told Scottish newspaper The Daily Record.

"The congregation thought I was a bit mad but I thought
'why not?' I knew the sultan had close links with the Cameronians regiment. He even uses the Cameronians badge within the uniform of the Omani Army."

Qaboos served with the Scottish army outfit after graduating from the UK's elite officer training school Sandhurst in the early 1960s.

He joined the Cameronians shortly after and served with the unit on an overseas tour in Germany.

"I know that the Sultan enjoyed a good experience in Scotland in his younger days and, even after all these years, he's still very well thought of in these parts. He must have made quite an impression," said Barcroft.

Oman has enjoyed good relations with the UK for many years, and ministers and advisers have included British-born experts.

Qaboos ascended ascended the throne from his father Sultan Said bin Taimur in 1970 and received strong British backing.

In the 1970s, British special forces helped the young sultan quell a rebellion by Marxists in the southern Omani province of Dhofar.

Since then the two militaries have worked closely together on training and arms purchases.

Many high-ranking figures in the Omani army are also former British officers.

The sultanate is viewed as one of the Gulf's most welcoming countries for non-Muslims, and has a number of churches and Hindu temples in the capital Muscat for the country's large expatriate population.