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| Chabahar, Iran’s closest access point to the Indian Ocean |
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Chabahar is situated on the Makran Coast of Sistan-Baluchestan Province and is officially designated as a free trade and industrial zone. This status has increased the city’s significance in international trade.
The overwhelming majority of the city’s inhabitants are ethnic Baluch who speak the Baluchi language, Iranchamber.com wrote.
Chabahar is Iran’s closest and best access point to the Indian Ocean. For this reason, it is the focal point of development of eastern Iran through the expansion of transit routes among countries situated in the northern part of the Indian Ocean and Central Asia.
It is hoped that with the development of transit routes, and better security and transit services, the benefits will reach its residents. Chabahar’s main economic activity pertains to fish industries, with the largest fish production registered at the Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone.
Chabahar has multimodal transportation facilities through air, sea and roads. Its Konarak Airport has daily flights to the capital Tehran, flights to Zahedan, Mashhad, Shiraz and Bandar Abbas.
The city has two jetties that connect it to international waterways. Iranian contractors are expanding both jetties to provide port facilities for handling 6 million tons of goods a year. A fishing village named Tis in its neighborhood dates back to 2500 BC, known in Alexander the Great’s conquests as Tiz. It was formerly an active commercial port destroyed by the Mongols. There are still some ruins in the village.
The Portuguese were the first colonial country to attack the Makran (Oman) Sea. Under Afonso de Albuquerque, they gained control of Chabahar and Tis, staying there until 1031 A.H. The British and later the Portuguese entered this region in 1616. Modern Chabahar dates back to 40 years, when it was declared a municipality and large port projects commenced.
The Iraq-Iran war caused Chabahar to gain in logistical and strategic importance. War brought insecurity to the Strait of Hormuz and ships were unable to enter the Persian Gulf. Chabahar emerged as a major port during the war.
The growing commercial sector in the free trade zone connects business growth centers in South Asia and Middle East to Central Asian markets. The government plans to link Chabahar’s free trade zone to Iran’s main rail network, which is connected to Central Asia.
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