Gawadar or Gowader has been recently developed as a free port in Pakistan where there will be a tax holiday for the 40 years.

The port has been handed over to the Singapore ports Authority to handle its operation from scratch. The port will serve the Pakistani exports as well as it will serve as the hub for exporters of Middle East At present, there may not be much for a pleasure-seeking traveler but it is going to become a modern city. A 5-star hotel has already been stared in Gawadar and more will come soon. History 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 Bamp?, 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.[4] 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.[5] 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 Aga Khan III paid 3 million and gifted Gwadar to Pakistan 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.

China is providing help on the project, and the first phase was completed by the end of 2004. Culture Gwadar's location and history have given it a unique blend of inhabitants. The Arab influence on Gwadar is strong due to Omani rule and the close proximity of Arab regions. The presence of the Omani slave trade is felt in the town with people descended from African slaves who passed through the town.

The area also has remarkable religious diversity, being home to Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Qadianis, Parsis, and other minor Islamic sects. Among the most important religious sects is the Zikri sect, a faith that about half of Gwadar's inhabitants claim to follow. Transport Gwadar City Gwadar is located on the Gulf of Oman close to the entrance of the Persian Gulf, about 460 kilometers west of Karachi. In 1993, Pakistan started feasibility studies for the development of a major deepwater seaport at Gwadar. The port project commenced on 22 March 2002 with the first phase completed in December 2005. The construction of the port has spurred other major infrastructure projects in the area.

This includes the 700 km Makran Coastal Highway which is now complete. The road links Karachi with several ports along the coast including Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar and will be extended to the Iranian border in the future. The highway has reduced travel time to Karachi from 48 hours to only 7 hours. Other road projects include the Gwadar-Quetta-Chaman road which is due for completion in 2006 and a road link to the town of Khuzdar in eastern Balochistan.

There are also plans for a terminal for passenger ships. The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan has earmarked 3000 acres (12 km?) of land for Gwadar International Airport which will be built 26 km away to the northeast of the existing airport towards Pasni and is likely to cost between $200-250 million. The new airport will be given international status and operate under the open sky policy. In the meantime, there are plans to improve facilities at the existing airport. Geopolitical importance The strategicStrategic location of Gwadar, and possible oil lines through the region.

The Gwadar deep-sea port emerges as a place of great strategic value, enhancing Pakistan's importance in the whole region, extending from the Persian Gulf through the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia and the Far East. Gwadar is located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, close to the important Straits of Hormuz, through which more than 13 million bbl of oil passes.

It is strategically located between three increasingly important regions of the world: the oil-rich Middle East, heavily populated South Asia and the economically emerging and resource-rich Central Asia. The construction of the Gwadar deep-sea port is just one component of a larger development plan which includes building a network of roads connecting Gwadar with the rest of Pakistan, such as the 650 km Coastal Highway to Karachi and the Gwadar-Turbat road (188 km). This network of roads connects with China through the Indus Highway.

Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are developing extensive road and rail links from Central Asia and the Chinese province of Xinjiang to the Arabian Sea coast. The Government has initiated several projects, with majority financial and technical assistance from China, to develop Gwadar's strategic location as a goods transit and trade point.

The primary project is the construction of a deep-sea port at Gwadar to enable high-volume cargo movement to and from the landlocked Central Asian states. The new port will also encompass conversion facilities to allow for the movement of natural gas as a part of plans for a termination point for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan natural gas pipeline. The secondary project is a coastal highway connecting Gwadar to Karachi, whose $200 million costs will be completely financed by the Chinese.

Gwadar will serve as a port of entry for oil and gas to be transported by land to the western regions of China. China has been promised sovereign guarantees for use of the ports. Economic forecasts The government declared Gwadar port a "Special Economic Zone" in the budget, 2003-2004.

All banks will open their branches, five star hotels will be built, offshore banking will be started, factories, warehouses, and storage will be set up, the tourism industry will be promoted in the area, an export processing zone will be set up, making Pakistan a very attractive place for direct foreign investment, and Gwadar port a regional hub of trade and investment activities.