Gwadar was part of Oman for 175 years. The Khan of Kalat gave it to an Omani prince, Sultan bin Ahmad, in 1783, and it stayed an Omani possession until Pakistan bought it in 1958: the agreement was signed on 8 September and the transfer took place on 8 December. Before that it was a Makran coast fishing and trading settlement, and the traces of both periods are still easy to find in the old town.
This post is the history only. For what to see on a visit, see our guide to places to visit in Gwadar, and for the modern port, our post on what visitors can see of Gwadar Port.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Name | From Balochi gwat (wind) and dar (gate), usually translated "gate of the wind" |
| Under Oman | 1783 to 1958 |
| Purchase agreed | 8 September 1958 |
| Formally transferred | 8 December 1958 |
| Became its own district | 1977 |
| Deep-sea port | Built 2002 to 2007; operational ceremony 2016 |
What was Gwadar before Oman?
The Makran coast has been inhabited for a very long time, and Gwadar's headland shows settlement going back to the Bronze Age. In the fourth century BC the coast was crossed by the fleet of Nearchus, the admiral of Alexander the Great, who described the people he met along it as fish-eaters. That is a fair description of the town's economy even now.
Later the coast came under a long list of rulers, and in the sixteenth century Portuguese ships raided settlements along it. Gwadar itself was a small port, dependent on fishing and on coastal trade across the Arabian Sea to the Gulf, Oman and East Africa. The Baloch tribes of the area looked, in the main, to the Khan of Kalat, the ruler whose territory covered most of what is now Balochistan.
The name matches the place. Gwadar sits on a narrow sand isthmus between two bays, with a rocky headland at the end, and the wind off the sea is a constant.
How did Oman get Gwadar?
The story starts with a family quarrel in Muscat. In the 1780s an Omani prince, Sultan bin Ahmad, fell out with his relatives after a failed attempt to seize power and went to the Makran coast. The Khan of Kalat gave him Gwadar and a share of its revenue to live on. The year usually given is 1783.
Sultan bin Ahmad later became ruler of Muscat and Oman, and he never gave Gwadar back. It became an overseas possession of Oman, with the Khan of Kalat's claim to it acknowledged on paper and never enforced. In 1903 the Khan formally raised that claim through the British Indian government, and again nothing changed. The British, who dominated the Gulf, preferred the arrangement as it was.
For the people of Gwadar this meant that the town looked west across the water, to Oman and the Gulf, as much as it looked inland. Trade, marriage, work and language moved along that sea road for nearly two centuries.
The long negotiation, 1947 to 1958
After 1947 Pakistan began to press for the return of Gwadar. Two things made it a serious aim. One was the town's position on the Arabian Sea. The other was a survey: a 1954 United States Geological Survey study identified the hammer-shaped headland as a good site for a deep-water port, a point often repeated in accounts of the sale.
The Sultan of Muscat and Oman at the time, Said bin Taimur, was a hard bargainer, and talks went through the British government as an intermediary. They ended in a 14-point agreement signed on 8 September 1958 under Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon. Several details are reported consistently:
- Pakistan paid three million pounds, described in the agreement as compensation for the loss of revenue.
- Oman was to receive a share of profits from any oil found at Gwadar, reported as 10 per cent for 25 years.
- Residents were allowed to keep Omani citizenship alongside Pakistani, and some thousands of families still hold both.
The price is one of the points where accounts differ. Some sources give much larger rupee figures, and some say that the Aga Khan paid most of it. If you see a figure quoted, treat it as one account among several. The date, the three-million-pound figure in the agreement and the transfer on 8 December are the parts that are well documented.
What did the Omani years leave behind?
More than most Pakistani towns, Gwadar kept signs of its other nationality. Walk through the old town and you will find:
- Three Omani-era forts. One has been restored and is open as a museum, though visiting hours are not published, so ask locally before you walk over.
- Shahi Bazaar, the old market street, whose shape and buildings go back to the Omani period.
- A small Hindu temple and an Ismaili jamaat khana, reminders that the town traded with many communities.
- Arab-influenced customs that some families still keep: dates and lassi to break the fast in Ramadan, the leva dance, and the kandura worn on special occasions.
Many families have relatives or jobs in Oman and the Gulf states, and remittances from there are an old part of the local economy.
Gwadar after 1958
For decades after the transfer, Gwadar stayed a small fishing town. It was a tehsil of Makran District until 1977, when it became a district of its own. Nothing much changed on the ground until the early 2000s, when construction of a deep-sea port began with Chinese funding and engineering. Phase one was completed in 2007, and in 2013 operation of the port passed to the China Overseas Port Holding Company under a long concession. The port was formally opened in 2016, and Gwadar is now the western end of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
That is where the town's modern history becomes contested. The same projects that brought roads, an airport and security also brought fencing, checkpoints and long-running local complaints about water, electricity and fishing rights. A balanced picture of Gwadar today has to include both. Our posts on the new Gwadar airport and the Makran Coastal Highway cover the practical side of that development.
Is the history worth knowing before you go?
Yes, because it explains what you will see. A visitor who knows nothing about it sees a small town with a lot of checkpoints and a modern port that cannot be visited. A visitor who knows the story sees a town that spent nearly two centuries looking at the Gulf, and then very quickly had to learn to look at Karachi, Islamabad and Beijing instead.
If you only have time for one thing, walk the old town and Shahi Bazaar in the morning, and from the Koh-e-Batil headland look down on the isthmus where all of this happened. Our Gwadar itinerary shows how to fit that into a trip. Check the security situation before you travel, as the UK government advises against all travel to Balochistan and Pakistani visitors still go but need to follow current local guidance; our post on whether Gwadar is safe to visit explains how the town works day to day.
Frequently asked questions
When did Pakistan buy Gwadar from Oman?
The agreement was signed on 8 September 1958 and the town was formally handed over on 8 December 1958. Pakistan paid three million pounds under the terms reported by historians, though other figures circulate.
Why did Oman own Gwadar?
In 1783 the Khan of Kalat gave Gwadar to Sultan bin Ahmad, an Omani prince who had come to the Makran coast after a failed coup. He later became ruler of Muscat and Oman and kept the town as an overseas possession.
What does Gwadar mean?
It comes from two Balochi words, gwat for wind and dar for gate, and is usually translated as "gate of the wind".
Can you still see Omani buildings in Gwadar?
Yes. The old town has three Omani-era forts, one restored as a museum, and the Shahi Bazaar dates to the same period. Opening hours are not published, so ask locally.
Do people in Gwadar still hold Omani citizenship?
Yes. The 1958 agreement allowed dual nationality, and thousands of residents have kept both. Many work in Oman and other Gulf states.
