Frankincense was a major export commodity from the ports of Sumhuram, Al Baleed and Raysut, while copper was exported from Sohar to the ancient civilisations of Egypt, the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia and China. From these countries gold, spices, ivory, wood and silk were brought back. This exchange of materials formed the basis of the early trade routes, which connected Oman with the rest of the world.

Along with trade, a web of political and diplomatic relationships developed between Oman and other nations. Chinese documents show that the first Arab sailors to reach China in 750 AD were from Oman. On the other side of the world, Ahmed bin Numan Al Kaa'bi was the first Arab envoy to visit the United States of America, in 1840.

Sultan Said bin Taimoor was the first Omani ruler to visit the USA, in 1938.