Gwadar Port, as everyone knows, is an important port for Pakistan.

It is opposite the largest Arabian Peninsula in the world, and in the distance is East Africa. To the west is the Strait of Hormuz, 75 kilometers from the Iranian border.

However, what many people don’t know is that Gwadar Port did not belong to Pakistan in the past, but Oman is an enclave in Pakistan. What is going on?

Oman, the first impression of many people, is just a low-key oil country. Little do they know that the territory established by the Oman Empire hundreds of years ago spans Asia and Africa and dominates the Indian Ocean region.

So how did Gwadar belong to Oman?

Originally it belonged to a Karat Khanate in western Pakistan. In the second half of the 18th century, civil strife broke out in Oman. A prince crossed the Persian Gulf and ran to the Karat Khanate.

In 1792, the monarch of the Karat Khanate gave about 800 square kilometers of land near Gwadar to the Omani prince who came to take refuge. After that, the prince returned to seize power. Later, the Karat Khanate’s power declined and was unable to control the coastal areas. The Gwadar region has since become Omani territory.

Although this place belonged to Oman, the Omani Empire was also short-lived. They were able to drive out the Portuguese, but they were ruled by the British, and then slowly declined and gradually became a British colony.

For this enclave, they are also beyond their reach.

In 1947, India and Pakistan were divided, and Pakistan became an independent country. After the establishment of the country, Pakistan has been entangled with India, and even faced the threat of India at all times.

In the 1950s, the small fishing village of Gwadar attracted the attention of the Pakistani government. It started long-term negotiations with Oman and bought back Gwadar Port for 3 million pounds in 1958, ending Oman’s nearly two-hundred-year rule of Gwadar Port.

With the development of Gwadar, many people saw value. Gwadar is a natural port, occupying a strategic position between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, and is the throat of important air routes.

The development of Gwadar also greatly eased the crisis in Pakistan. Because the capital of Pakistan was Karachi at that time, Karachi was too close to India, and it was always threatened by India. In the event of an emergency, it was easily blocked by the Indian Navy.