The villages of Wadi Bani Rawaha, Sumail, Nakhal and Mslimat are all located very close to the foot of the Hajar Mountain Range. Wadi Bani Rawaha and Sumail are on one side on the route to Nizwa while Nakhal and Mslimat lie on the other side of the mountain accessible from Barka on the Batinah route. All these villages are somehow connected to our Group for it is from this region that Sh. Hamed Bin Salim Al Rawahy, our founder and his family originate. They owe their tribe name to Wadi Bani Rawaha which is a wadi close to the foot of the mountain. Wadi Bani Rawaha and Sumail are places where one may find people from an entire village with the surname “Al Rawahy”, although people of the Al Rawahy tribe are also found in many other regions of the Sultanate of Oman. The forefathers of Sheikh Hamed migrated first to Nakhal and then later settled down in Mslimat on the other side of the hill where they built a large mansion and lived there for many years.
The mansion at Mslimat is still standing, it is an imposing structure despite decades of being left unoccupied. Most members of the Al Rawahy family now reside in or around Muscat. Sheikh Hamed spent a considerable part of his early life in Zanzibar, where he and his brothers had vast farm land and extensive coconut, clove and spice gardens. They managed factories that processed the produce from the farm and some of the factory products were exported. He travelled extensively between Oman, the East African Countries and India to develop business. Those days travel was tedious and most of it had to be done by sea. This did not deter Sh. Hamed who had many interesting tales to share about his travels and adventure. The story of how the Al Rawahy family came to live in Zanzibar is also very interesting.
Sh. Salim Bin Mohammed Al Rawahy the father of our founder and his immediate family members were renowned for their Arabic writing skills especially calligraphy. Their reputation went far and wide even beyond the shores of Oman. During this period which was in the late 19th century, the Sultan of Zanzibar, Sayyid Sir Barghash Bin Said AlBusaid was constructing his new palace and he wanted to inscribe verses from the Holy Quran at prominent places in this palace.
He thus sent a personal invitation to Sh. Salim and his brother Sh Abdul Aziz asking them to visit Zanzibar and help in this task, which they accepted. They then moved to Zanzibar with their families and settled there but continued to keep in touch with their hometown in Oman with frequent visits. The palace built in 1883 is now a museum and known as “Beit Al Ajaib or House of Wonders”, the famous calligraphic writing of Sh. Salim and his brother adorns one of the high doors of this palace museum. Adventure is next to nature for members of the Al Rawahy tribe given the terrain and territory they lived in, every male in the tribe is considered a warrior. It is this element of daring and adventure that Sheikh Hamed displayed all his life during the course of which he laid the foundation for a truly great organisation. His sons continue to build on Sheikh Hamed’s vision and the organisation he started in the early seventies is now spread over three Countries and two Continents employing over 8000 people.
The ascension of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to the throne in Oman in the year 1970 was a turning point in the life of Sheikh Hamed. He felt the urge to return to his homeland permanently and contribute his might in nation building. Equipped with the values of honesty, respect, integrity and fairness Sheikh Hamed returned to Oman, set up the first Company in the Group, National Engineering and Contracting Co or NECC which is involved in Civil Construction. Thereafter, with the support of his sons, he was successful in setting up all the other companies that are listed within Al Rawahy Holdings LLC.
Sheikh Hamed was considered a dignitary Sheikh by the Palace protocol and in the year 1981 when the first State Consultative Council was constituted, His Majesty the Sultan appointed Sheikh Hamed as one of its first members. Sh. Hamed was an astute businessman who believed in selling on the merit of the product or service. He insisted that our customers should be presented with the real facts, even if some of them may be seen to be detrimental and may lead to losing the order. He was a strong believer that honesty would surely be rewarded. The achievements of the Group over the past forty years goes on to prove that Sheikh Hamed was right.
Currently, his sons carry on with the same spirit and have continued to build on the foundation laid by their industrious father. Over the past four decades, the Group has gained an impeccable reputation which is the real testimony of the values that Sheikh Hamed inculcated in the Group. Sheikh Hamed passed away on the 28th of July, 2013 but his presence is still felt in the corridors of the company. The values he stood for still govern the operation of the Group. His values of Honesty, Respect and Fairness are strong pillars that direct all the actions. The Era of Sheikh Hamed may have ended but his legacy still continues to be the guiding light of the Organisation.
Sheikh Hamed is succeeded by his six sons, a daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Three of his sons, Sheikh Aflah, Sheikh Is-haq and Sheikh Abdul Rahim are on the Board of Al Rawahy Holdings, his youngest son Sheikh Ma’an and grandson Sheikh Hisham Aflah are Deputy General Manager’s in the Bin Salim Group, while yet another grandson Sheikh Mohamed Aflah is Asst. COO in OIG. The Board of Directors, Management and Staff salute their visionary founder. We believe that our organisation has been able to withstand the test of time because it has been ‘built on a strong foundation’ laid by Sheikh Hamed Bin Salim Al Rawahy. May his soul rest in peace.
"Honesty, Trustworthiness and Fear of God"
Sh. Hamed Bin Salim Al Rawahy