Shahi Bazaar: The story of old town Gwadar that we missed

 

Photo by Shahid Majeed

“Shahi Bazaar” on Gwadar’s east coast is clustered around abandoned homes, broken wooden balconies, closed shops, shattered shades, few people walking by and some little fellows playing and running between the congested streets. Other than that, there’s almost a silence in most of this Bazaar. One wonders even if it is a bazaar anymore. The silence says it is old. But no one knows how old it is. Old enough to die or to get a new life, may be?

Few of us know much about Gwadar’s “strategic location” and “deep sea-port” –two words often used for Gwadar in almost every news article. Fewer or hardly any, I suspect, realize Gwadar is more than those two words. There are people who live here and have lived here for centuries and a dying “Shahi Bazaar” close to every Gwadari’s heart. 

An Evening Outside Kareemok a Hotel

People with clean coats and ties on TV say, “Gwadar is the Jewel in the crown of CPEC.” But humble Gwadari fishermen, activists and young men sipping cups of tea every evening at Kareemok a Hootal are yet busy solving the mystery to find where this jewel actually is. Some of them however, are mistaken to suggest, the jewel may be their treasured century old heritage –the very “Royal” market or “Shahi Bazaar” they are having tea at.

But they wonder this Shahi Bazar was not always a royal market, it did not even have a name initially or just had a random name as “Gwadar a Bazar” (Gwadar’s Bazaar).

In 1970s, Muslim Commercial Bank opened one of its branches along the market and its board mentioned, “MCB Shahi Bazaar Branch.” Ever since then, it became known as Shahi Bazaar.

No one, not even these fishermen know how old this market is but one thing every Gwadari is sure about is the fact that Shahi Bazar is the oldest markets of Makran division that consists of three districts; Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur.

Abandoned houses in Shahi Bazaar

But many also believe that it is one of the oldest markets in Balochistan and has lived as a classic Gwadari public space for the last few centuries. Interestingly, it is also one of the very few places in Balochistan that has always had a diverse cultural influence from Omani Arabs, Hindus (Gaor), Ismaili (Koja) and Baloch communities. These differences brought different cuisines and beautiful varied architecture, which stands tall to this day, however, almost little ruined. 

Most markets in the world are known for their large space but Gwadar’s Shahi Bazar is congested built along a narrow street that runs with mercantile buildings on both sides, often two stories tall –in near falling condition, wooden as well as constructed with concrete, bricks and clay, bracketed by an old round fort and a tall rectangular fort indigenous to the Omani architecture, a rectangular Omani fort (which is also considered a Portuguese fort by some) and Ismaili prayer place (Jamat Khana) and their abandoned homes, balconies with wooden railings opening into the market.

Omani Watch Tower and 
Khuda Buksh Halwai Shop, 
Photo by Talha Ameen

As for the wood for construction, it was often imported from India’s Calcutta at the time when cargo ships and passenger ferries travelled all the way from India to Karachi, Gwadar and continued to the Persian Gulf. 

These abandoned balconies in Shahi Bazar perhaps once echoed with laughter of families –mostly Hindu families or Ghaor –local Baloch still remember them as and then a number of Ismaili families homed them for a long time. Many of whom still live there.  

Like many markets along the Indian Subcontinent and most parts of Persian coast, Hindu and Ismaili population at the time had a predominance in most of the trade in Shahi Bazaar. These communities had moved to Gwadar, (no one knows when) for the purposes of trade and since they had connections with markets and people in other parts of the world –mainly cities in the Indian Subcontinent, they were comfortable settling and continuing their work.

Omani Fort in Shahi Bazaar
(Many believe, it is Portuguese origin)  
Photo by Asa Wahag

In the old days, like a power house, this market was rooted in Gwadar’s and surrounding region’s economies, and therefore had a crucial meaning for daily life. There were (and still are with expanded versions of) several different markets nestled throughout Shahi Bazaar: the south of the Bazaar’s narrow street opens to old fish market and one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Gwadar –Dhoria, Kummari Ward and Kauda Ahmed Muhalla. It is where the oldest population of Gwadar consisting of Meedh (fishermen) and Kummari people lived (and still live).

In the northern end of the Shahi Bazar, there is a complex (compound) in somewhat square shape market, also known as “Galag.” This compound then intersects at “Mullah Fazul Chok” –the last or northern-most part of Galag, dividing the center of Gwadar city to two different markets, “Dashti Bazar” (developed around 1980s) also known as men’s market and “Jannat Bazaar” (developed around late 1990s) known as Women’s Market. Along the markets, there are some other old neighbourhoods of Gwadar.

In the southern end of Shahi Bazaar, it was the wet market (fish market) of old days and in the north it was the dry market (Galag). The northern part was a more crowded place (and still is), it (Galag) is where all the trade took place. This trade depended on goods brought by camels from different parts of Kech, Panjgur and Iran.

At the back of Shahi Bazaar’s middle part, there’s a famous house -“Ahmed Khan’s Home.” Ahmed Khan was brother of Abdul Rab who was a customs officer during Omani regime nearly more than 100 years back from now. An Omani Baloch who was sent by the Omani government to Gwadar as a Customs Officers. This is where revenue from all trades was collected during Omani regime, as from 1783 to 1958 Gwadar remained a part of the Sultanate of Oman. Even a large part of Gwadar’s population still has close family ties in Oman in addition to the fact that many in Gwadar are dual nationals.  

A hundred or two hundred years back from now, the impression of a person for Shahi Bazaar was of chaos, confusion, noise, trade and bustle. Pedestrians in large numbers walking all together in the narrow street of Bazaar, people shouting out prices and customers haggling. Fishermen and merchants heading to the customs office for tax procedures, passengers from Gwadar and those who travelled all the way from Turbat, Panjgur and other parts of Marken camped at Galag and waited for passenger ferries that travelled to Karachi after every fifteen days. These passenger ferries continued for a long time until late 1960s.

Shahi Bazaar remained cool during the day, thanks to the shades by the closely packed buildings and architecture which created breeze channels from the sea through eastern streets.

Narrow crossways filled with Sewerage 
and rain water after seasonal downpour
Photo by Asa Wahag 

Unlike Galag, Shahi Bazaar was and still is not a comfortable public space, but such market places never are. In the old days, this market added value to people’s lives in the everyday, it was busy, and alive all day and late night.

Even a hundred years ago, there were at least 7-8 hotels (dhabas) serving food and tea. Presence of such dhabas signify large number of people, gatherings and travelers. In the old days, travelers and traders from other parts of the region stayed at these dhabas that kept Taath –Charpai. Whereas local people visited for tea and socializing.

At nights, there was story telling in these dhabas by famous narrators of the time under dim oil street lights outside and Qandeel (oil lamps) indoors. These dim oil streets lights were often patromax loft lights hanging upside down on poles and each evening just before it got dark, an employee of local government assigned by Wali –Omani Governor for Gwadar, to refill these lights along Shahi Bazaar with Kerosene oil. They had a string that helped to get them down and then raise them back to the top of the pole after the refill. These lights were last seen in 1960s.

Today, when there is some power supply in the town, this market is completely dark at nights. As for the dhabas, only a few of them remain in the present day. The market is hardly thriving–having very little activity. But even in present day, people seeking special Gwadari Halwa, pan or a place to sip a cup of tea with ongoing discussions head to “Kareemok a Hotel” –a well-known Gwadari Chai spot.

In the past and today, these dhabas were attended by people alone and in groups, to have food and tea, talk, exchange ideas and discuss local and world events. Gwadar still is socially and politically a very active town and Shahi Bazar, especially “Kareemok a hotel” provides a space for these discussions.

Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi, one of the pioneer Baloch writers and researchers (also from Gwadar) wrote in his 1959 article about Shahi Bazar, “People from different parts of the country crowd to the market. There is no space left, there is so much crowd. Radios are contributing to the noise. This market is alive till sun set and with the darkness it dies. But later in the night, these hotels come back to life. And people make their way to the hotels. At nights, they are all bright with oil lamps. Radios are turned on once again. In some of these hotels, poetry and songs are the norm. And there are also some hotels that take us fifty years back. With the “Tilsm Oshorba” book in front of old Mullah and rest of the people surrounding him, listening silently like his most devoted disciples entirely lost in the story.” 

Many believe, the reason why Shahi Bazar developed nowhere else in the region but in Gwadar, is because Gwadar is a natural port. In the old days when steam boats travelled from Bombay to Karachi, their next spot in the west was Gwadar and then they travelled all the way to Iran and Gulf countries. Thus, Gwadar was the center of trade in the region and within Gwadar, Shahi Bazar was the powerhouse of all economic activities.   

In earlier days, all the goods were brought into Galag through camels and then to the shops of Shahi Bazaar therefore the street within Bazaar is very congested as no vehicles can go inside. With development of road infrastructure in Makran and as road connections with Karachi developed, the means of transportation and exchange of goods changed. And with this, the shops of Shahi Bazaar became less attractive as no ships with goods or passengers berthed at East Coast of Shahi Bazar anymore and it almost became impossible to get the goods into the market through trucks and other large vehicles, so the market expanded toward north, into Galag and made ways to Dashti and Jannat Market.

As for the local population of Gwadar, in the past and even today most of them live in the southern end of Shahi Bazar and in the neighbourhoods along Dasti and Jannat Bazaar.

As a signifier of a time before the Gwadar we know today, Shahi Bazaar holds the history of this emerging port town but today it shows a picture of complete negligence as the architecture of Bazaar has hardly been considered to have been conserved so far.

There are some important structures that throw light upon Gwadar’s past and its cultural diversity including the architecture of the oldest shops, a tall and round Omani fort, another tall and rectangular Omani Fort (some believe it is Portuguese built), a Jamat Khana, home of Balochi language’s pioneer writer and researcher Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi –almost falling apart, and many other important buildings. These not only guard the history but they bridge a path to the present day and can be conserved as major tourist attractions.

Today, most of the shops in the market are closed, broken and in near-falling condition. Though, there are few important shops and businesses still running for instance; Khuda Buksh Halwai shop, Karimok Hotel, Mullah Ali’s famous samosa shop, Aidok Radio Shop, Kaka Ibraheem Pan Shop, Taj Laundry shop, Kareem Buksh Mushuki’s shop, Umair Photo studio and several others. These running businesses are not even 10% of the total shops in the bazaar. However, these are in the ancient part of the bazaar, whereas there are few more working businesses near the oldest part of Galag.

As per today’s needs, it is obvious that Shahi Bazar cannot be an economic hub as it used to be in earlier centuries. With complete renovation but minimal changes in actual structure, architecture and with new facilities, this place can turn into a beautiful historical heritage site and a tourist friendly cultural market.

It can also be turned into a market like Muttrah in Oman and Zanzibar’s old market. Just like these two old markets, Shahi Bazaar of Gwadar can turn into a market for traditional Gwadari or Balochi cultural artifacts, embroidery, local cuisine, historical sites and a space for public awareness.

Part of the reason why Shahi Bazaar was neglected in recent times remains the first “Master Plan of Gwadar” a new map introduced by Gwadar Development Authority in 2005. According to this map, the old neighborhoods and Shahi Bazaar were going to be merged with the port. This also gave way to the relocation of a large part of old town’s population to the north of Gwadar in a new neighborhood “Noken Mullah Band” about 8 kilometers away.

Since this part of the town was planned to be merged with the port, the government authorities started to neglect it and its population. It remained without every basic needs; water, and proper power supply and sewerage system and with time, Shahi Bazaar lost its old reputation.

But after local population, civil society and local community organizations lobbied hard to save this glorious market with historic buildings and irreplaceable ruins, the government had to take its decision back.

In 2019, the approval of a new master-plan for Gwadar assured that no more old neighborhoods will be relocated and the old town will be preserved as a cultural heritage of Gwadar.

Shahi Bazaar today in the darkness

This was also discussed in an annual Book Fair in a local organization of Gwadar; Rural Community Development Council (RCDC) in March last year by the Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan.

The old buildings in Gwadar’s Shahi Bazar –two ancient forts, old houses, streets and many more are outstanding historic assets that bridge our past with the present day. They need to be added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage list.

There is equally a need to have a national commitment for urgent safeguarding of these buildings, to have these valuable architecture protected from further damage, researched for more historic details and conserved for tourist attraction and public awareness.

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(As the author (Mariyam Suleman Anees) is no historian, this is no complete account of Gwadar’s extraordinary Shahi Bazaar. Part of this information and history comes from Syed’s memoirs of Bazaar, other comes from the interviews of some senior people from Gwadar including; Master Imam Buksh, KB Firaaq, Nasir Raheem Sohrabi, Suleman Hashim, and Barkat Ullah Baloch).