| The Makran region surrounding Gwadar was
occupied by unknown Bronze age people who settled in the few
oases. It later became the Gedrosia region of the Achaemenid
Persian empire. The region is believed to have been conquered
by the founder of the Persian empire, Cyrus the Great. The capital
of the satrapy of Gedrosia was Pura, thought to have been located
near modern Bampûr, in Iranian Balochistan. During the
homeward march of Alexander the Great, his admiral Nearchus
led a fleet along the modern Makran coast and recorded that
the area was dry and mountainous, inhabited by the Ichthyophagoi
or Fish eaters - a Greek rendering of the ancient Persian phrase
Mahi khoran, which has become the modern word Makran.[2]
After the collapse of Alexander's empire, the area was ruled
by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander’s generals, but
the region came under local rule about 303 BC. For several
centuries, the region remained on the sidelines of history,
until the Muslim Arab army under Muhammad bin Qasim captured
the town of Gwadar in 711 AD. In the following centuries the
area was contested between various powers including the Mughals
and the Safavids.
Portuguese explorers captured and sacked Gwadar in the late
16th century. This was followed by centuries of local rule
by various Baloch tribes. In 1783 the Khan of Kalat granted
Gwadar to Taimur Sultan, the defeated ruler of Muscat.[3]
When Taimur recaptured Muscat, he continued to rule Gwadar
by appointing a wali or governor. The new governor was ordered
to conquer the nearby coastal town of Chah Bahar (in modern
Iran). Gwadar fort was built during Omani rule, whilst telegraph
lines were extended into Gwadar courtesy of the British. In
1958, the Gwadar enclave was transferred to Pakistan after
Pakistan paid £3 million and it was made part of Balochistan
province. However, some local residents continue to debate
the merits of the Pakistani buyback.
In 2002, Gwadar Port project to build a large deep-sea port
was begun in the town. The government of Pakistan intends
to develop the entire area in order to reduce reliance on
Karachi for shipping. In addition to expanding port facilities,
the project aims to build industrial complexes in the area,
and to connect the town via a modern highway to the rest of
Pakistan. The People's Republic of China is providing help
on the project, and the first phase was completed by the end
of 2004.
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