On 23 July 1970, Qaboos bin Said overthrew his father the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Said bin Taimur. Occurring amid the Dhofar rebellion, the palace coup was executed by the British and saw Said deposed and sent into exile to the United Kingdom. Following the coup, Qaboos implemented a policy of modernization. At the time of his death in January 2020, he was the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East.