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180-766: The Gwadar Port ( Urdu : گوادر بندرگاہ [ˈɡwaːdəɾ ˈbəndəɾɡaː] ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Company. The port features prominently in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and is considered to be

360-524: A Sassanid invasion in the 3rd century AD, under the rule of Shapur I , while conversion to Islam occurred during the 7th century. Muscat's importance as a trading port continued to grow in the centuries that followed, under the influence of the Azd dynasty , a local tribe. The establishment of the First Imamate in the 9th century was the first step in consolidating disparate Omani tribal factions under

540-454: A deadweight tonnage of up to 70,000 at Gwadar Port, while current capacity permits a maximum 20,000 DWT. Future plans call for dredging of the harbour to a depth of 20 meters to allow for docking of larger vessels. Also included as part of the CPEC infrastructure development package for port infrastructure is a $ 130 million breakwater around the port. Ancillary infrastructure projects for

720-642: A dialect continuum ranging from Persianised to Sanskritised vocabulary, but now they are more and more different in words due to politics. Old Urdu dictionaries also contain most of the Sanskrit words now present in Hindi. Mutual intelligibility decreases in literary and specialised contexts that rely on academic or technical vocabulary. In a longer conversation, differences in formal vocabulary and pronunciation of some Urdu phonemes are noticeable, though many native Hindi speakers also pronounce these phonemes. At

900-702: A floating liquefied natural gas facility that will be built as part of the larger $ 2.5 billion Gwadar-Nawabshah segment of the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project. Construction began in June 2016 on the Gwadar Special Economic Zone , which is being built on 2,292-acre site adjacent to Gwadar's port. In late 2015, around 2000 acre land was leased to a Chinese company for 43 years for the development of Gwadar Special Economy Zone. Gwadar Port became formally operational on 14 November 2016, when it

1080-543: A $ 150 million line of credit extended by the Exim Bank of India for future port development, India further agreed to extend a $ 400 million line of credit to be used for the import of steel for the construction of a rail link between Chabahar and Zahedan , while India's IRCON and Iran's CDTIC signed a memorandum of understanding for the possible construction and financing of the Chabahar to Zahedan rail line at

1260-488: A $ 360 million coal power plant adjacent to Gwadar Port, a $ 27 million project to dredge berths in Gwadar harbour, and a $ 100 million 300-bed hospital in Gwadar. A $ 114 million desalination plant will also be developed to provide potable water, while $ 35 million worth of infrastructure projects around the special economic zone will also be built. China will also grant Pakistan $ 230 million to construct

1440-632: A 640-meter long container handling facility, and reconstruct a 600-meter long berth at the Port of Chabahar , as well as modernise ancillary infrastructure at the berths. Improvements at the port are intended to allow Indian goods to be exported to Iran, with the possibility of onward connections to Afghanistan and Central Asia. A section of the Indian media described it as "a counter to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor," although

1620-406: A core vocabulary of native Sanskrit and Prakrit derived words and a significant number of Arabic and Persian loanwords, with a consensus of linguists considering them to be two standardised forms of the same language and consider the differences to be sociolinguistic ; a few classify them separately. The two languages are often considered to be a single language (Hindustani or Hindi-Urdu) on

1800-523: A cost of $ 1.6 billion. As part of CPEC, China has instead has committed $ 1.153 billion to finance construction projects and development of the port and adjacent sites. Chinese commitments in Gwadar as part of the CPEC project include: the construction of the $ 140 million East Bay Expressway project to connect the port with the Makran Coastal Highway , installation of breakwaters at Gwadar port which will cost $ 130 million,

1980-489: A couple of offices around the city. It is also home to Galfar Engineering, headed by P. Mohammed Ali. The airline Oman Air has its head office on the grounds of Muscat International Airport . According to the 2003 census conducted by the Oman Ministry of National Economy, the population of Muscat is over 630,000, which included 370,000 males and 260,000 females. Muscat formed the second largest governorate in

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2160-546: A heavy influence on both as a co-official language. According to Bruce (2021), Urdu has adapted English words since the eighteenth century. A movement towards the hyper-Persianisation of an Urdu emerged in Pakistan since its independence in 1947 which is "as artificial as" the hyper-Sanskritised Hindi that has emerged in India; hyper-Persianisation of Urdu was prompted in part by the increasing Sanskritisation of Hindi. However,

2340-707: A hold on Muscat for over a century, despite challenges from Persia and a bombardment of the town by the Ottoman Turks in 1546. The Turks twice captured Muscat from the Portuguese, in the Capture of Muscat (1552) and 1581–88. The election of Nasir bin Murshid Al-Ya'rubi as Imam of Oman in 1624 changed the balance of power again in the region, from the Persians and the Portuguese to local Omanis. Among

2520-634: A hospital in Muscat in the 19th century. Like the rest of Oman, Arabic is the predominant language of the city. In addition, English , Balochi , Sindhi , Swahili and Indian languages such as Bengali , Gujarati , Hindi , Konkani , Malayalam , Marathi , Odia , Tamil , Tulu , Telugu and Urdu are spoken by the residents of Muscat. Islam is the predominant religion in the city, with most followers being Ibadi Muslims . Non-Muslims are allowed to practise their religion, but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. In 2017

2700-575: A link between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Maritime Silk Road projects. It is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Turbat , and 170 kilometres (110 mi) to the east of Chabahar Port ( Sistan and Balochistan Province in Iran). Gwadar's potential to be a deep water sea port was first noted in 1954, while the city was still under Omani sovereignty. Plans for construction of

2880-518: A literary medium for Indian writers from the Bombay Presidency, Bengal, Orissa Province, and Tamil Nadu as well. As Urdu and Hindi became means of religious and social construction for Muslims and Hindus respectively, each register developed its own script. According to Islamic tradition, Arabic , the language of Muhammad and the Qur'an , holds spiritual significance and power. Because Urdu

3060-629: A major role in the Omanis' ability to stay in contact with the civilisations of the ancient world. Sur was one of the most famous shipbuilding cities of the Indian Ocean. The Al Ghanja ship takes one whole year to build. Other types of Omani ship include As Sunbouq and Al Badan. In March 2016, archaeologists working off Al-Hallaniyah Island identified a shipwreck believed to be that of the Esmeralda from Vasco da Gama 's 1502–1503 fleet. The wreck

3240-426: A new international airport in Gwadar which is to be operational by December 2017. A floating liquefied natural gas facility will also be built at Gwadar Port as part of the $ 2.5 billion Gwadar-Nawabshah segment of the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline . Urdu language Urdu ( / ˈ ʊər d uː / ; اُردُو , pronounced [ʊɾduː] , ALA-LC : Urdū ) is a Persianised register of

3420-577: A new port conceived initially by Sa‘id bin Taimur, was developed during the early days of Qaboos' rule. Similarly, a new international airport was developed in Muscat's Seeb district. A complex of offices, warehouses, shops and homes transformed the old village of Ruwi in Muttrah into a commercial district. The first five-year development plan in 1976 emphasised infrastructural development of Muscat, which provided new opportunities for trade and tourism in

3600-595: A notable novel being Umrao Jaan Ada . According to the Navadirul Alfaz by Khan-i Arzu, the "Zaban-e Urdu-e Shahi" [language of the Imperial Camp] had attained special importance in the time of Alamgir ". By the end of the reign of Aurangzeb in the early 1700s, the common language around Delhi began to be referred to as Zaban-e-Urdu , a name derived from the Turkic word ordu (army) or orda and

3780-702: A phonological level, speakers of both languages are frequently aware of the Perso-Arabic or Sanskrit origins of their word choice, which affects the pronunciation of those words. Urdu speakers will often insert vowels to break up consonant clusters found in words of Sanskritic origin, but will pronounce them correctly in Arabic and Persian loanwords. As a result of religious nationalism since the partition of British India and continued communal tensions, native speakers of both Hindi and Urdu frequently assert that they are distinct languages. The grammar of Hindi and Urdu

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3960-589: A policy continued by the Mughal Empire , which extended over most of northern South Asia from the 16th to 18th centuries and cemented Persian influence on Hindustani. Urdu was patronised by the Nawab of Awadh and in Lucknow , the language was refined, being not only spoken in the court, but by the common people in the city—both Hindus and Muslims; the city of Lucknow gave birth to Urdu prose literature, with

4140-564: A railway between Ürümqi , China and Almaty , Kazakhstan has also been completed as part of China's One Belt One Road initiative. Numerous land crossings already exist between Kazakhstan and China as well. Additionally, the Chinese government has announced plans to lay railway track from Tashkent , Uzbekistan towards Kyrgyzstan with onwards connections to China and Pakistan's coast. The heads of various Central Asian republics have expressed their desire to connect their infrastructure networks to

4320-507: A sectarian divide of "Urdu" for Muslims and "Hindi" for Hindus, a divide that was formalised with the partition of colonial India into the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan after independence (though there are Hindu poets who continue to write in Urdu, including Gopi Chand Narang and Gulzar ). Urdu had been used as a literary medium for British colonial Indian writers from

4500-481: A significant role in the development of the Urdu register. Hindi became the distinct register spoken by those who sought to construct a Hindu identity in the face of colonial rule. As Hindi separated from Hindustani to create a distinct spiritual identity, Urdu was employed to create a definitive Islamic identity for the Muslim population in India. Urdu's use was not confined only to northern India – it had been used as

4680-480: A single day. The climate generally is very hot and also very humid in the summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching as high as 45 °C or 113 °F. Muscat's economy, like that of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional exports of the city included dates , mother of pearl , and fish. Many of the souks of Muttrah sell these items and traditional Omani artefacts. Petroleum Development Oman has been central to Muscat's economy since at least 1962 and

4860-610: A state-run Chinese firm. Prior to COPHC, the port was operated by the Port of Singapore Authority . Following the completion of Phase I, the Government of Pakistan in February 2007 signed a 40-year agreement with PSA International for development and operation of the port, and an adjacent 584-acre special economic zone. PSA International was the highest bidder for the Gwadar Port, after its competitor DP World withdrew from

5040-614: A symbol of their religious identity. Hindus in northwestern India, under the Arya Samaj agitated against the sole use of the Perso-Arabic script and argued that the language should be written in the native Devanagari script, which triggered a backlash against the use of Hindi written in Devanagari by the Anjuman-e-Islamia of Lahore. Hindi in the Devanagari script and Urdu written in the Perso-Arabic script established

5220-604: A taxi. Taxis also generally take passengers to locations out of the city, including Sohar , Buraimi and Dubai . Outwardly, Oman shares many of the cultural characteristics of its Arab neighbours, particularly those in the Gulf Cooperation Council . Despite these similarities, important factors make Oman unique in the Middle East. These result as much from geography and history as from culture and economics. The relatively recent and artificial nature of

5400-488: A treaty with U.S. President Andrew Jackson 's representative Edmund Roberts on September 21, 1833. Having gained control over Zanzibar , in 1840 Said moved his capital to Stone Town , the ancient quarter of Zanzibar City ; however, after his death in 1856, control over Zanzibar was lost when it became an independent sultanate under his sixth son, Majid bin Said (1834/5–1870), while the third son, Thuwaini bin Said , became

5580-407: A typical feature of its architecture. The city’s port district of Muttrah , with its corniche and harbour, are at the north-eastern edge of the city. Muscat's economy is dominated by trade, petroleum, liquified natural gas and porting. Ptolemy 's Map of Arabia identifies the territories of Cryptus Portus and Moscha Portus . Scholars are divided in opinion on which of the two is related to

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5760-419: A uniting language. Urdu was chosen as a symbol of unity for the new Dominion of Pakistan in 1947, because it had already served as a lingua franca among Muslims in north and northwest of British Indian Empire . Urdu is also seen as a repertory for the cultural and social heritage of Pakistan. While Urdu and Islam together played important roles in developing the national identity of Pakistan, disputes in

5940-465: A vehicle of poetry, (especially under the Bahmanids ), and is known as Dakhini , which contains loanwords from Telugu and Marathi . From the 13th century until the end of the 18th century; the language now known as Urdu was called Hindi , Hindavi , Hindustani , Dehlavi , Dihlawi , Lahori , and Lashkari . The Delhi Sultanate established Persian as its official language in India,

6120-464: A very significant number among the nearly 800 districts of India, there is a small Urdu-speaking minority at least. In Araria district , Bihar, there is a plurality of Urdu speakers and near-plurality in Hyderabad district, Telangana (43.35% Telugu speakers and 43.24% Urdu speakers). Some Indian Muslim schools ( Madrasa ) teach Urdu as a first language and have their own syllabi and exams. In fact,

6300-462: A width of 2.5 miles that are connected to the Pakistani shore by a narrow and sandy 12 kilometre long isthmus . The isthmus separates the shallow Padi Zirr bay to the west, from the deep water Demi Zirr harbour in the east. Gwadar Port has significant advantages compared to other ports in the region due to its depth, natural breakwater, and desert climate with little seasonal variation. In 1783,

6480-499: Is a plain as large as the square of Lisbon, all covered with salt pans. [T]here are orchards, gardens, and palm groves with wells for watering them by means of swipes and other engines. The harbour is small, shaped like a horse-shoe and sheltered from every wind." — Afonso de Albuquerque , after the fall of Muscat, in 1507. Muscat's naval and military supremacy was re-established in the 19th century by Said bin Sultan , who signed

6660-668: Is a registered regional dialect and in South Africa , it is a protected language in the constitution. It is also spoken as a minority language in Afghanistan and Bangladesh , with no official status. Urdu and Hindi share a common Sanskrit - and Prakrit -derived vocabulary base, phonology , syntax , and grammar, making them mutually intelligible during colloquial communication . While formal Urdu draws literary, political, and technical vocabulary from Persian , formal Hindi draws these aspects from Sanskrit; consequently,

6840-600: Is a trading hub between the Persian Gulf , the Indian subcontinent and the Far East with an annual volume of about 1.6 million tons. However, the emergence of the Jebel Ali Free Zone in neighboring Dubai , United Arab Emirates , has made that port the premier maritime trading port of the region with about 44 million tons traded in cargo annually. Many infrastructural facilities are owned and operated by

7020-553: Is about 10 centimetres or 4 inches, falling mostly from December to April. In general, precipitation is scarce in Muscat, with the months May to November typically receiving only a trace of rainfall. However, in recent years, heavy precipitation events from tropical systems originating in the Arabian Sea have struck the city. Cyclone Gonu in June 2007 and Cyclone Phet in June 2010 affected the city with damaging winds and rainfall amounts exceeding 100 millimetres or 4 inches in just

7200-712: Is envisaged that manufacturing and processing industries will be developed, while further expansion of the zone is intended to be complete by 2030. On 10 April 2016, talking to The Washington Post , Zhang Baozhong, chairman of China Overseas Port Holding Company said that his company could spend a total of $ 4.5 billion on roads, power, hotels and other infrastructure for the industrial zone, which he said would be open to non-Chinese companies. The company also plans to build an international airport and power plant for Gwadar. Saudi Arabia has promised to build US$ 10 billion oil refinery at Gwadar Port in 2019. Pakistan expressed its desire for China to include additional projects within

7380-707: Is heavily dependent upon sea-routes that pass through the South China Sea , near the disputed Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands , which are currently a source of tension between China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States. The CPEC project will allow Chinese energy imports to circumvent these contentious areas. The Sino-Myanmar pipelines have also been constructed by China to address this so-called "Malacca Dilemma". China's stake in Gwadar will also allow it to expand its influence in

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7560-425: Is limited to major roadways and point-to-point travel routes between Oman's major cities and towns. Taxis, also colour-coded orange and white, provide semi-personal transportation in the form of both individual hire and the same opportunistic roadway service as Baiza buses. Baiza buses and colour-coded orange-and-white taxis are unmetered, after several government initiatives to introduce meters were rejected. The fare

7740-527: Is not officially recognised by the Government of Bangladesh . The Urdu spoken by Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh is different from this dialect. Many bilingual or multi-lingual Urdu speakers, being familiar with both Urdu and English, display code-switching (referred to as " Urdish ") in certain localities and between certain social groups. On 14 August 2015, the Government of Pakistan launched

7920-488: Is one variety, is spoken much more widely, forming the third most commonly spoken language in the world, after Mandarin and English . The syntax (grammar), morphology , and the core vocabulary of Urdu and Hindi are essentially identical – thus linguists usually count them as one single language, while some contend that they are considered as two different languages for socio-political reasons. Owing to interaction with other languages, Urdu has become localised wherever it

8100-593: Is read and written as in other parts of India. A number of daily newspapers and several monthly magazines in Urdu are published in these states. Dhakaiya Urdu is a dialect native to the city of Old Dhaka in Bangladesh , dating back to the Mughal era . However, its popularity, even among native speakers, has been gradually declining since the Bengali Language Movement in the 20th century. It

8280-552: Is said to have arisen as the "language of the camp", or " Zaban-i-Ordu " means " Language of High camps " or natively " Lashkari Zaban " means " Language of Army " even though term Urdu held different meanings at that time. It is recorded that Aurangzeb spoke in Hindvi, which was most likely Persianized, as there are substantial evidence that Hindvi was written in the Persian script in this period. During this time period Urdu

8460-510: Is set by way of negotiation , although taxi drivers usually adhere to certain unwritten rules for fares within the city. In many countries, one is advised to negotiate a fare with the driver before getting into a taxi. However, in Oman, asking for the fare beforehand often demonstrates a passenger's newness and unfamiliarity with the area. One should always find out the normally accepted fare for one's journey from one's hotel or host before looking for

8640-573: Is shared, though formal Urdu makes more use of the Persian "-e-" izafat grammatical construct (as in Hammam-e-Qadimi , or Nishan-e-Haider ) than does Hindi. The following table shows the number of Urdu speakers in some countries. Muscat The Hajar Mountains dominate the view from Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea , along the Gulf of Oman, near the strategically important Straits of Hormuz . Low-lying white buildings are

8820-606: Is spoken by large numbers of migrant South Asian workers in the major urban centres of the Persian Gulf countries. Urdu is also spoken by large numbers of immigrants and their children in the major urban centres of the United Kingdom , the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, and Australia. Along with Arabic , Urdu is among the immigrant languages with the most speakers in Catalonia . Religious and social atmospheres in early nineteenth century India played

9000-492: Is spoken, including in Pakistan. Urdu in Pakistan has undergone changes and has incorporated and borrowed many words from regional languages, thus allowing speakers of the language in Pakistan to distinguish themselves more easily and giving the language a decidedly Pakistani flavor. Similarly, the Urdu spoken in India can also be distinguished into many dialects such as the Standard Urdu of Lucknow and Delhi , as well as

9180-529: Is synonymous with Oman ("hidden land"). But "Ov-man" (Omman), and the old Sumerian name Magan (Maa-kan) , means sea-people in Arabic. An inhabitant is a Muscatter , Muscatian , Muscatite or Muscatan . In 1793 AD the capital was transferred from Rustaq to Muscat. Evidence of communal activity in the area around Muscat dates back to the 6th millennium BC in Ras al-Hamra, where burial sites of fishermen have been found. The graves appear to be well formed and indicate

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9360-740: Is the country's second largest employer, after the government. Its major shareholders include Shell , Total, and Partex and its production is estimated to be about 720,000 barrels per day (114,000 m /d). Muscat also has major trading companies such as the Suhail Bahwan Group, which is a trading partner for corporations such as Toshiba , Subaru , Seiko , Hewlett-Packard , General Motors , RAK Ceramics ; Saud Bahwan Group whose trading partners are Toyota , Daihatsu , KIA and Hertz Rent-a-Car ; Zubair Automotive whose trading partners include Mitsubishi , and Chrysler brands such as Dodge; and Moosa AbdulRahman Hassan which operates as one of

9540-481: Is used in education , literature , office and court business, although in practice, English is used instead of Urdu in the higher echelons of government. Article 251(1) of the Pakistani Constitution mandates that Urdu be implemented as the sole language of government, though English continues to be the most widely used language at the higher echelons of Pakistani government. Urdu is also one of

9720-427: Is well known for being sailing of many commercial ships and boats. Here also, the traditional boats of Arabian Peninsula named Dhows can be also seen. This port since many centuries have been a main commercial and financial centre in terms of its international maritime trade. Airport The main airport is Muscat International Airport (formerly known as Seeb International Airport) around 25 km (16 mi) from

9900-577: The Arabian Peninsula . South of Muscat, the volcanic rock strata are broken up and distorted, rising to a maximum height of 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in Al-Dakhiliyah , a region which includes Jebel Akhdar , the country's highest range. The hills in Muscat are mostly devoid of vegetation but are rich in iron . The halophytic sabkha type desert vegetation is predominant in Muscat. The Qurum Nature Reserve contains plants such as

10080-631: The Arthrocnemum Macrostachyum and Halopeplis Perfoliata . Coral reefs are common in Muscat. Acropora reefs exist in the sheltered bays of the satellite towns of Jussah and Khairan. Additionally, smaller Porites reef colonies exist in Khairan, which have fused to form a flat-top pavement that is visible at low tide. Crabs and spiny crayfish are found in the waters of the Muscat area, as are sardines and bonito . Glassfish are common in freshwater estuaries , such as

10260-736: The Assyrians of the Church of the East resulted in a significant Christian population living in the region, with a bishop being attested by 424 AD under the Metropolitan of Fars and Arabia. The rise of Islam saw the Syriac and Arabic-speaking Christian population eventually disappear. It is thought to have been brought back in by the Portuguese in 1507. Protestant missionaries established

10440-575: The Bombay , Bengal , Orissa , and Hyderabad State as well. Before independence, Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah advocated the use of Urdu, which he used as a symbol of national cohesion in Pakistan. After the Bengali language movement and the separation of former East Pakistan , Urdu was recognised as the sole national language of Pakistan in 1973, although English and regional languages were also granted official recognition. Following

10620-463: The Central Hindi Directorate was established earlier in 1960, and the promotion of Hindi is better funded and more advanced, while the status of Urdu has been undermined by the promotion of Hindi. Private Indian organisations such as the Anjuman-e-Tariqqi Urdu, Deeni Talimi Council and Urdu Mushafiz Dasta promote the use and preservation of Urdu, with the Anjuman successfully launching a campaign that reintroduced Urdu as an official language of Bihar in

10800-493: The China National Petroleum Corporation . The Pakistani government also intends to establish a training institute named Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute at Gwadar which is to be completed at the cost of 943 million rupees to impart skills to local residents to train them to operate machinery at the port. It was expected that by 2017, the port will handle over one million tons of cargo, most of which will consist of construction materials for other CPEC projects. However,

10980-490: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor plan, the state-owned China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) will expand Gwadar Port with construction of nine new multipurpose berths on 3.2 kilometres of seafront to the east of the existing multipurpose berths. COPHC will also build cargo terminals in the 12 kilometres of land to the north and northwest of the site along the shoreline of the Demi Zirr bay. In total, COPHC has awarded $ 1.02 billion worth of contracts for expansion of

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11160-635: The Dakhni ( Deccan ) of South India. Because of Urdu's similarity to Hindi , speakers of the two languages can easily understand one another if both sides refrain from using literary vocabulary. Although Urdu is widely spoken and understood throughout all of Pakistan, only 9% of Pakistan's population spoke Urdu according to the 2023 Pakistani census . Most of the nearly three million Afghan refugees of different ethnic origins (such as Pashtun , Tajik , Uzbek , Hazarvi , and Turkmen ) who stayed in Pakistan for over twenty-five years have also become fluent in Urdu. Muhajirs since 1947 have historically formed

11340-406: The Devanagari and Latin script ( Roman Urdu ) to allow its survival, or whether this will only hasten its demise and that the language can only be preserved if expressed in the Perso-Arabic script. For Pakistan, Willoughby & Aftab (2020) argued that Urdu originally had the image of a refined elite language of the Enlightenment, progress and emancipation, which contributed to the success of

11520-439: The Hindustani language , an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia . It is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan , where it is also an official language alongside English . In India , Urdu is an Eighth Schedule language , the status and cultural heritage of which are recognised by the Constitution of India ; and it also has an official status in several Indian states. In Nepal , Urdu

11700-414: The Ilm Pakistan movement, with a uniform curriculum in Urdish. Ahsan Iqbal , Federal Minister of Pakistan, said "Now the government is working on a new curriculum to provide a new medium to the students which will be the combination of both Urdu and English and will name it Urdish." Standard Urdu is often compared with Standard Hindi . Both Urdu and Hindi, which are considered standard registers of

11880-402: The Indian subcontinent , at the cost of the alienation of the people of the interior of Oman. The Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque sailed to Muscat in 1507, in an attempt to establish trade relations. As he approached the harbour, his ships were fired on. He then decided to conquer Muscat. Most of the city burned to the ground during and after the fighting. The Portuguese maintained

12060-444: The Khan of Kalat , Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch, granted Gwadar to Taimur Sultan , the vanquished leader of Muscat, who was entrusted with its governance on behalf of the Khan. Despite Taimur Sultan 's eventual recovery of power in Muscat , the Omani administration continued to hold sway over Gwadar through the appointment of local governors. In 1797, Saiad Sultan assumed the leadership of Muscat, but he did not relinquish control of

12240-450: The Khariboli dialect of the Delhi region). Dakhni (also known as Dakani, Deccani, Desia, Mirgan) is spoken in Deccan region of southern India . It is distinct by its mixture of vocabulary from Marathi and Konkani , as well as some vocabulary from Arabic, Persian and Chagatai that are not found in the standard dialect of Urdu. Dakhini is widely spoken in all parts of Maharashtra , Telangana , Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka . Urdu

12420-428: The Omani Aquarium and Marine Science and Fisheries Centre . The Bait Al Falaj Fort played an important role in Muscat's military history. Recent projects include an opera house which opened on October 14, 2011. One of the most notable new projects is the Oman National Museum. It is expected to be an architectural jewel along with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque . Visitors are also encouraged to visit Old Muscat and

12600-428: The Punjabi elite of Pakistan, have adopted Urdu as a mother tongue and identify with both an Urdu speaker as well as Punjabi identity. Urdu was chosen as a symbol of unity for the new state of Pakistan in 1947, because it had already served as a lingua franca among Muslims in north and northwest British India . It is written, spoken and used in all provinces/territories of Pakistan , and together with English as

12780-512: The Strait of Malacca , to Mombasa , from there via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region with its rail connections to Central Europe and the North Sea . In 2019, the Baloch Liberation Army , which opposes the Gwadar Port City, targeted Chinese nationals in an attack on the Pearl-Continental Hotel . Gwadar Port is being developed in two phases: Phase I covered building of three multipurpose berths and related port infrastructure and port handling equipment, and

12960-574: The United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a survey of its coastline. The USGS deputed the surveyor, Worth Condrick, for the survey, who identified Gwadar as a suitable site for a seaport. After four years of negotiations, Pakistan purchased the Gwadar enclave from Oman for £ 3 million on 8 September 1958 (equivalent to £78.8 million in 2023) and Gwadar officially became part of Pakistan on 8 December 1958, after 200 years of Omani rule. A small wharf at Gwadar

13140-595: The United States Navy . The sea-route via the Straits of Malacca is roughly 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi), while the distance from Gwadar Port to Xinjiang province is approximately 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi), and another 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) from Xinjiang to China's eastern coast. However, the cost of moving oil overland is far greater. An oil pipeline from Gwadar to China's population centers (not yet built), will cost up to $ 8/barrel, while

13320-399: The de jure legal status and de facto political status of Urdu, how much Urdu is used as language of instruction and chosen by students in higher education, and how the maintenance and development of Urdu is financially and institutionally supported by governments and NGOs. In India, although Urdu is not and never was used exclusively by Muslims (and Hindi never exclusively by Hindus),

13500-484: The labour force , dominated by males, who accounted for 80% of the city's total labour. A majority of expatriates (34%) was in engineering-related occupations, while most Omanis worked in engineering, clerical, scientific or technical fields. The defense sector was the largest employer for Omanis, while construction, wholesale and retail trade employed the largest number of expatriates. The ethnic makeup of Muscat has historically been influenced by people not native to

13680-422: The principal value . The projects which are now to financed by the 0% interest loans include: the construction of the $ 140 million East Bay Expressway project, installation of breakwaters in Gwadar which will cost $ 130 million, a $ 360 million coal power plant in Gwadar, a $ 27 million project to dredge berths in Gwadar harbour, and a $ 100 million 300-bed hospital in Gwadar. In September 2015,

13860-561: The state of Oman makes it difficult to describe a national culture; however, sufficient cultural heterogeneity exists within its national boundaries to make Oman distinct from other Arab States of the Persian Gulf. Oman's cultural diversity is greater than that of its Arab neighbours, given its historical expansion to the Swahili Coast and the Indian Ocean. Oman has a long tradition of shipbuilding, as maritime travel played

14040-533: The "Baiza" buses, so named for the lower denomination of the Omani rial , the baiza (an adaptation of the Indian lower denomination paisa ). These are relatively inexpensive and service all major roadways, as well as a wide and loose network of smaller byways in the greater Muscat metropolitan area, opportunistically dropping off and picking up passengers at any location. Less popular and slightly more expensive are large public buses, coloured red and green, whose service

14220-542: The 18th century and two similar standard forms came into existence in Delhi and Lucknow . Since the partition of India in 1947, a third standard has arisen in the Pakistani city of Karachi . Deccani , an older form used in southern India , became a court language of the Deccan sultanates by the 16th century. Urdu has a few recognised dialects, including Dakhni , Dhakaiya , Rekhta , and Modern Vernacular Urdu (based on

14400-483: The 1950s (particularly those in East Pakistan , where Bengali was the dominant language), challenged the idea of Urdu as a national symbol and its practicality as the lingua franca . The significance of Urdu as a national symbol was downplayed by these disputes when English and Bengali were also accepted as official languages in the former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ). Urdu is the sole national, and one of

14580-479: The 1960s, the Urdu lobby and eventually the Urdu language in Pakistan has been associated with religious Islamism and political national conservatism (and eventually the lower and lower-middle classes, alongside regional languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi, and Balochi), while English has been associated with the internationally oriented secular and progressive left (and eventually the upper and upper-middle classes). Despite governmental attempts at Urduisation of Pakistan,

14760-718: The 1970s. In the former Jammu and Kashmir state , section 145 of the Kashmir Constitution stated: "The official language of the State shall be Urdu but the English language shall unless the Legislature by law otherwise provides, continue to be used for all the official purposes of the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of the Constitution." Urdu became a literary language in

14940-690: The 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent arrival of millions of Afghan refugees who have lived in Pakistan for many decades, many Afghans, including those who moved back to Afghanistan, have also become fluent in Hindi-Urdu, an occurrence aided by exposure to the Indian media, chiefly Hindi-Urdu Bollywood films and songs. There have been attempts to purge Urdu of native Prakrit and Sanskrit words, and Hindi of Persian loanwords – new vocabulary draws primarily from Persian and Arabic for Urdu and from Sanskrit for Hindi. English has exerted

15120-518: The 1980s–1990s, attracting migrants from around the region. On June 6, 2007, Cyclone Gonu hit Muscat causing extensive damage to property, infrastructure and commercial activity. Early photographs of the city and harbour, taken in the early 20th century by German explorer and photographer, Hermann Burchardt , are now held at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin . Muscat is located in northeast Oman. The Tropic of Cancer passes south of

15300-543: The Arabian Peninsula. British Parliamentary papers dating back to the 19th century indicate the presence of a significant Hindu Gujarati merchants in the city. Indeed, four Hindu temples existed in Muscat ca. 1760. Christianity flourished in Oman (Bēṯ Mazūnāyē "land of the Maganites"; a name deriving from its Sumerian designation) from the late 4th century to the 7th century. Missionary activity by

15480-551: The British in quelling the uprisings from the interior. The failed assassination attempt of April 26, 1966 on Said bin Taimur led to the further isolation of the Sultan, who had moved his residence from Muscat to Salalah , amidst the civilian armed conflict. On July 23, 1970, Qaboos bin Said , son of the Sultan, staged a bloodless coup d'état in the Salalah palace with the assistance of the British, and took over as ruler. With

15660-602: The CPEC project and Gwadar Port via China. During the August 2015 visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov , conveyed Kazakhstan's desire to link its road network to the CPEC project, which will also provide Kazakhstan with access to the port. During the November 2015 visit of Tajikistan 's President Emomali Rahmon to Pakistan,

15840-548: The CPEC project to provide Central Asian states access to Pakistan's seaports in Gwadar and Karachi by completely bypassing Afghanistan – a country which has been ravaged by civil war and political instability since the late 1970s. In May 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Iranian counterpart President Hassan Rouhani signed a series of twelve agreements in Tehran in a boon to India–Iran relations . By these agreements, India Ports Global Pvt. Limited will refurbish

16020-594: The Capital was relocated to Delhi and named Shahjahanabad and the Bazar of the town was named Urdu e Muallah. In the Akbar era the word Rekhta was used to describe Urdu for the first time. It was originally a Persian word that meant "to create a mixture". Amir Khusrau was the first person to use the same word for Poetry. Before the standardisation of Urdu into colonial administration, British officers often referred to

16200-648: The Delhi region of India the native language was Khariboli , whose earliest form is known as Old Hindi (or Hindavi). It belongs to the Western Hindi group of the Central Indo-Aryan languages. The contact of Hindu and Muslim cultures during the period of Islamic conquests in the Indian subcontinent (12th to 16th centuries) led to the development of Hindustani as a product of a composite Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb . In cities such as Delhi,

16380-426: The English liked to use the name "Moors" for Urdu: I have a deep knowledge [ je possède à fond ] of the common tongue of India, called Moors by the English, and Ourdouzebain by the natives of the land. Several works of Sufi writers like Ashraf Jahangir Semnani used similar names for the Urdu language. Shah Abdul Qadir Raipuri was the first person who translated The Quran into Urdu. During Shahjahan's time,

16560-681: The Europeans in 1650. They were not affected by civil war that established the Al Bu Sa‘id dynasty and continued to prosper under Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi . Important trade existed between the city and Thatta , and later, Kutch , expanding to other parts of India. During the second half of the 19th century, the fortunes of the Al Bu Sa‘id declined and friction with the Imams of the interior resurfaced. Muscat and Muttrah were attacked by tribes from

16740-453: The Gwadar enclave to Kalat. This resulted in a dispute between the Sultan's descendants and the Khan of Kalat regarding the governance of Gwadar, which led to British involvement in the matter. Eventually, the British brought telegraph lines to the town. Having secured concessions from the Sultan for the utilization of the region, the British assisted Muscat in maintaining control over Gwadar. At

16920-529: The Heathens, or from the Persians, or other Nations. In 1715, a complete literary Diwan in Rekhta was written by Nawab Sadruddin Khan . An Urdu-Persian dictionary was written by Khan-i Arzu in 1751 in the reign of Ahmad Shah Bahadur . The name Urdu was first introduced by the poet Ghulam Hamadani Mushafi around 1780. As a literary language, Urdu took shape in courtly, elite settings. While Urdu retained

17100-757: The Indian Ocean, a vital route for oil transportation between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Another advantage to China is that it will be able to bypass the Strait of Malacca. As of now, 60 percent of China's imported oil comes from the Middle East, and 80 percent of that is transported to China through this strait, the dangerous, piracy-rife maritime route through the South China, East China, and Yellow Seas. Council on Foreign Relations Planned investments in Gwadar Port as part of CPEC will improve connectivity to

17280-405: The Indian government do not actively support the preservation of Urdu in professional and official spaces. Because the Pakistani government proclaimed Urdu the national language at Partition, the Indian state and some religious nationalists began in part to regard Urdu as a 'foreign' language, to be viewed with suspicion. Urdu advocates in India disagree whether it should be allowed to write Urdu in

17460-591: The Mabela area of Muscat are Al Araimi Boulevard and Mall of Muscat. The Mall of Muscat is also home to the Oman Aquarium. Mall Of Oman , the largest shopping mall in Oman was opened in Summer 2021 housing over 100+ stores including Snow Oman , Vox Cinemas , an arcade (Magic Planet) and various food chains. Waterways Sultan Qaboos Port serves as one of the most important ports of Muscat Governorate , which

17640-585: The Ministry of Maritime of Pakistan submitted a report in Senate that during the last five years, 99 ships loaded with cargo from seven different countries anchored at Gwadar Port. The weight of shipments was 1.439 million tons. The government of China in August 2015 announced that the previously announced concessionary loans for several projects in Gwadar totalling $ 757 million would be converted 0% interest loans for which Pakistan will only be required to repay

17820-683: The Old Palace. The main shopping district is situated in Al Qurum Commercial Area. However, shopping malls are found throughout the city. One of the largest malls in Oman is Oman Avenues Mall , located in Ghubra. The fourth largest mall is in Seeb , near the international airport, called City Centre Muscat , housing all major international brands and the largest Carrefour hypermarket. Two new megamalls opened during 2019 and 2020: in

18000-416: The Persian king Nader Shah in the 18th century destabilised the region, and further strained relations between the interior and Muscat. This power vacuum in Oman led to the emergence of the Al Bu Sa‘id dynasty , which has ruled Oman ever since. "Muscat is a large and very populous town, flanked on both sides with high mountains and the front is close to the water's edge; behind, towards the interior, there

18180-598: The Qurum Nature Reserve. The Sultan Qaboos Street forms the main artery of Muscat, running west-to-east through the city. The street eventually becomes Al Nahdah Street near Al Wattayah. Several inter-city roads such as Nizwa Road and Al Amrat Road, intersect with Al Sultan Qaboos Road (in Rusail and Ruwi , respectively). Muttrah , with the Muscat Harbour, Corniche , and Mina Qaboos , is located in

18360-527: The Sultan of Oman. By the 19th century, a large Hindu merchant community in the port city dominated its commercial life. It is argued that their settlement at least since the fifteenth century; one of the reasons is that the Portuguese relied heavily on them to secure a trade monopoly in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf area. The Sindhis were amongst the first during this era, followed by the Kutchis . The merchant community played an important role in expelling

18540-895: The Sultanate of Oman unveiled the Mushaf Muscat , an interactive calligraphic Quran following a brief from the Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs . The city has numerous mosques including the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque , Ruwi Mosque, Saeed bin Taimoor and Zawawi Mosque . A few Shi'ite mosques also exist here. Muscat has a number of museums. These include Museum of Omani Heritage , National Museum of Oman , Oman Children's Museum , Bait Al Zubair , Oman Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre , Omani French Museum , Sultan's Armed Forces Museum and

18720-806: The Tajik premier also expressed his government's desire to join the Quadrilateral Agreement on Traffic in Transit to use CPEC and Gwadar Port as a conduit for imports and exports to Tajikistan by circumventing Afghanistan. The request received political backing by the Pakistani Prime Minister. The Pamir Highway in Central Asia already provides Tajikistan access to Kashgar via the Kulma Pass . These crossings complement

18900-445: The absorption of vocabulary from various regional Pakistani languages, while some Urdu vocabularies has also been assimilated by Pakistan's regional languages. Some who are from a non-Urdu background now can read and write only Urdu. With such a large number of people(s) speaking Urdu, the language has acquired a peculiar Pakistani flavor further distinguishing it from the Urdu spoken by native speakers, resulting in more diversity within

19080-407: The ancient language Old Hindi began to acquire many Persian loanwords and continued to be called "Hindi" and later, also "Hindustani". An early literary tradition of Hindavi was founded by Amir Khusrau in the late 13th century. After the conquest of the Deccan , and a subsequent immigration of noble Muslim families into the south, a form of the language flourished in medieval India as

19260-592: The area. It is bordered to its west by the plains of the Al Batinah Region and to its east by Ash Sharqiyah Region . The interior plains of Ad Dakhiliyah Region border Muscat to the south, while the Gulf of Oman forms the northern and western periphery of the city. The water along the coast of Muscat runs deep, forming two natural harbours , in Muttrah and Muscat. The Central Hajar Mountains run through

19440-653: The assistance of the British, Qaboos bin Said put an end to the Dhofar uprising and consolidated disparate tribal territories. He renamed the country the Sultanate of Oman (called Muscat and Oman hitherto), in an attempt to end to the interior's isolation from Muscat. Qaboos enlisted the services of capable Omanis to fill positions in his new government, drawing from such corporations as Petroleum Development Oman . New ministries for social services such as health and education were established. The construction of Mina Qaboos ,

19620-597: The banner of an Ibadi state. However, tribal skirmishes continued, allowing the Abbasids of Baghdad to conquer Oman. The Abbasids occupied the region until the 11th century, when they were driven out by the local Yahmad tribe. Power over Oman shifted from the Yahmad tribe to the Azdi Nabahinah clan, during whose rule, the people of coastal ports such as Muscat prospered from maritime trade and close alliances with

19800-420: The bidding process. PSA was granted a wide range of tax concessions, including exemption from corporate tax for 20 years, land for a special economic zone, duty-free imports of materials and equipment for construction and operations of the port, and duty-free shipping and bunker oil for 40 years. In addition to these incentives, the provincial government of Balochistan was also asked to exempt PSA International from

19980-503: The city of Muscat . Similarly, Arrianus references Omana and Moscha in Voyage of Nearchus . Interpretations of Arrianus' work by William Vincent and Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville conclude that Omana was a reference to Oman , while Moscha referred to Muscat . Similarly, other scholars identify Pliny the Elder 's reference to Amithoscuta to be Muscat . The origin of

20160-591: The city's business district of Ruwi and 15 to 20 km from the main residential localities of Al-Khuwair, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al-Qurm. Muscat is the headquarters for the local Oman Air , which flies to several destinations within the Middle East , the Indian Subcontinent, East Africa and Europe. Road Transportation The Muscat area is well serviced by paved roads and dual-carriageway connects most major cities and towns in

20340-495: The contract, the port would remain as property of Pakistan, but would be operated by the state-run Chinese firm – China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC). The contract signing ceremony was held on 18 February 2013 in Islamabad, and was attended by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari , Chinese Ambassador Liu Jian, as well as various federal ministers and members of parliament, as well as senior government officials. The ceremony

20520-422: The cost of shipping oil from the Persian Gulf to China is $ 2–3/barrel. In the event that China were to face hostile actions from a state or non-state actor, energy imports through the Straits of Malacca could be halted, which in turn would paralyse the Chinese economy in a scenario that is frequently referred to as the "Malacca Dilemma". In addition to vulnerabilities it faces in the Straits of Malacca region, China

20700-417: The country, after Al Batinah , accounting for 27% of the total population of Oman. As of 2003, Omanis constituted 60% of the total population of Muscat, while expatriates accounted for about 40%. The population density of the city was 162.1 per km . The governorate of Muscat comprises six wilayats : Muttrah , Bawshar, Seeb , Al Amrat, Muscat and Qurayyat . Seeb, located in the western section of

20880-489: The country. Since November 2015, Public transportation in Muscat has been revamped with a bus network connecting most important parts of the city with a fleet of modern Mwasalat (earlier Oman National Transport Company buses. Mwasalat buses procured from VDL of the Netherlands and MAN of Germany have several hi-tech features, including free Wi-Fi. Several forms of public transport are popular in Oman. Most popular are

21060-599: The court language of various Indo-Islamic empires . Religious, social, and political factors arose during the European colonial period that advocated a distinction between Urdu and Hindi, leading to the Hindi–Urdu controversy . According to 2022 estimates by Ethnologue and The World Factbook , produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Urdu is the 10th-most widely spoken language in

21240-400: The distance from Gwadar Port to Xinjiang is approximately 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi), and another 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) from Xinjiang to China's eastern coast. As a result of the CPEC, Chinese imports and exports to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe would require much shorter shipment times and distances. The Chinese share of revenue generated from Gwadar Port would be 91% of

21420-415: The early 21st century an increasing percentage of Indian Muslims began switching to Hindi due to socio-economic factors, such as Urdu being abandoned as the language of instruction in much of India, and having limited employment opportunities compared to Hindi, English and regional languages. The number of Urdu speakers in India fell 1.5% between 2001 and 2011 (then 5.08 million Urdu speakers), especially in

21600-414: The exalted camp . Earlier it was known as Hindvi, Hindi and Hindustani . Urdu, like Hindi , is a form of Hindustani language . Some linguists have suggested that the earliest forms of Urdu evolved from the medieval (6th to 13th century) Apabhraṃśa register of the preceding Shauraseni language , a Middle Indo-Aryan language that is also the ancestor of other modern Indo-Aryan languages. In

21780-570: The existence of burial rituals. South of Muscat, remnants of Harappan pottery indicate some level of contact with the Indus Valley civilisation . Muscat's notability as a port was acknowledged as early as the 1st century AD by the Greek geographer Ptolemy , who referred to it as Cryptus Portus (the Hidden Port ), and by Pliny the Elder , who called it Amithoscuta . The port fell to

21960-447: The existing Makran Coastal Highway and the planned $ 230 million Gwadar International Airport . A floating liquefied natural gas facility that will have a capacity of 500 million cubic feet of liquified natural gas per day will also be built at the port as part of the $ 2.5 billion Gwadar-Nawabshah segment of the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline , which is being built as a joint venture between Pakistan's Inter State Gas System, and

22140-556: The framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), encompassing areas such as energy, climate change, electricity transmission, and tourism. However, Beijing displayed limited interest in this request. Furthermore, Beijing declined Islamabad's proposal to construct a 500-kilovolt transmission line from Gwadar port to the national electricity grid in Karachi. Gwadar Port is owned by the government-owned Gwadar Port Authority and operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC),

22320-504: The government of China also announced that the $ 230 million Gwadar International Airport project would no longer be financed by loans, but would instead be constructed by grants which the government of Pakistan will not be required to repay. The expanded port will be located near a 2,282-acre free trade area in Gwadar which is being modelled on the lines of the Special Economic Zones of China . The 2000 acre of land

22500-515: The government of Oman. Omantel is the major telecommunications organization in Oman and provides local, long-distance and international dialing facilities and operates as the country's only ISP . Recent liberalization of the mobile telephone market has seen the establishment of a second provider, Ooredoo . Muscat is home to multibillion-dollar conglomerate CK Industries with their headquarters located in Ruwi . Ajman based Amtek Industries also have

22680-427: The governorate, was the most populous (with over 220,000 residents), while Muttrah had the highest number of expatriates (with over 100,000). Approximately 71% of the population was within the 15–64 age group, with the average Omani age being 23 years. About 10% of the population is illiterate , an improvement when compared to the 18% illiteracy rate recorded during the 1993 census. Expatriates accounted for over 60% of

22860-529: The grammar and core Indo-Aryan vocabulary of the local Indian dialect Khariboli, it adopted the Nastaleeq writing system – which was developed as a style of Persian calligraphy. Throughout the history of the language, Urdu has been referred to by several other names: Hindi, Hindavi, Rekhta, Urdu-e-Muallah, Dakhini , Moors and Dehlavi . In 1773, the Swiss French soldier Antoine Polier notes that

23040-480: The independence movement. But after the 1947 Partition , when it was chosen as the national language of Pakistan to unite all inhabitants with one linguistic identity, it faced serious competition primarily from Bengali (spoken by 56% of the total population, mostly in East Pakistan until that attained independence in 1971 as Bangladesh ), and after 1971 from English. Both pro-independence elites that formed

23220-579: The interior in 1895 and again in 1915. A tentative ceasefire was brokered by the British , which gave the interior more autonomy. However, conflicts among the disparate tribes of the interior, and with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman continued into the 1950s, and eventually escalated into the Dhofar Rebellion (1962). The rebellion forced the Sultan Said bin Taimur to seek the assistance of

23400-554: The language as " Moors " or "Moorish jargon". John Gilchrist was the first in British India to begin a systematic study on Urdu and began to use the term "Hindustani" what the majority of Europeans called "Moors", authoring the book The Strangers's East Indian Guide to the Hindoostanee or Grand Popular Language of India (improperly Called Moors) . Urdu was then promoted in colonial India by British policies to counter

23580-458: The language in the Perso-Arabic script in courts and government offices, though Hindus continued to employ the Devanagari script in certain literary and religious contexts. Through the late 19th century, people did not view Urdu and Hindi as being two distinct languages, though in urban areas, the standardised Hindustani language was increasingly being referred to as Urdu and written in the Perso-Arabic script. Urdu and English replaced Persian as

23760-575: The language of Bollywood films tend to contain a large number of Persian and Arabic words and thus considered to be "Urdu" in a sense, especially in songs. India has more than 3,000 Urdu publications, including 405 daily Urdu newspapers. Newspapers such as Neshat News Urdu , Sahara Urdu , Daily Salar , Hindustan Express , Daily Pasban , Siasat Daily , The Munsif Daily and Inqilab are published and distributed in Bangalore, Malegaon, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai . Outside South Asia, it

23940-883: The language. In India, Urdu is spoken in places where there are large Muslim minorities or cities that were bases for Muslim empires in the past. These include parts of Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Bihar , Telangana , Andhra Pradesh , Maharashtra ( Marathwada and Konkanis), Karnataka and cities such as Hyderabad , Lucknow , Delhi , Malerkotla , Bareilly , Meerut , Saharanpur , Muzaffarnagar , Roorkee , Deoband , Moradabad , Azamgarh , Bijnor , Najibabad , Rampur , Aligarh , Allahabad , Gorakhpur , Agra , Firozabad , Kanpur , Badaun , Bhopal , Hyderabad , Aurangabad , Bangalore , Kolkata , Mysore , Patna , Darbhanga , Gaya , Madhubani , Samastipur , Siwan , Saharsa , Supaul , Muzaffarpur , Nalanda , Munger , Bhagalpur , Araria , Gulbarga , Parbhani , Nanded , Malegaon , Bidar , Ajmer , and Ahmedabad . In

24120-704: The leadership of the Muslim League in Pakistan and the Hindu-dominated Congress Party in India had been educated in English during the British colonial period, and continued to operate in English and send their children to English-medium schools as they continued dominate both countries' post-Partition politics. Although the Anglicized elite in Pakistan has made attempts at Urduisation of education with varying degrees of success, no successful attempts were ever made to Urduise politics,

24300-466: The legal system, the army, or the economy, all of which remained solidly Anglophone. Even the regime of general Zia-ul-Haq (1977–1988), who came from a middle-class Punjabi family and initially fervently supported a rapid and complete Urduisation of Pakistani society (earning him the honorary title of the 'Patron of Urdu' in 1981), failed to make significant achievements, and by 1987 had abandoned most of his efforts in favour of pro-English policies. Since

24480-445: The levy of provincial and district taxes. According to the agreement with PSA, the Government of Pakistan was to get a fixed 9% share of the revenue from cargo and maritime services, in addition to 15% of revenues earned from the adjacent special economic zone. In September 2011, The Wall Street Journal reported that Gwadar was being underused as commercial port, and that Pakistan had asked the Chinese government to assume operations of

24660-404: The main languages of instruction, although the people from differing provinces may have different native languages. Urdu is taught as a compulsory subject up to higher secondary school in both English and Urdu medium school systems, which has produced millions of second-language Urdu speakers among people whose native language is one of the other languages of Pakistan – which in turn has led to

24840-400: The majority population in the city of Karachi , however. Many newspapers are published in Urdu in Pakistan, including the Daily Jang , Nawa-i-Waqt , and Millat . No region in Pakistan uses Urdu as its mother tongue, though it is spoken as the first language of Muslim migrants (known as Muhajirs ) in Pakistan who left India after independence in 1947. Other communities, most notably

25020-403: The most Urdu-speaking states of Uttar Pradesh (c. 8% to 5%) and Bihar (c. 11.5% to 8.5%), even though the number of Muslims in these two states grew in the same period. Although Urdu is still very prominent in early 21st-century Indian pop culture, ranging from Bollywood to social media, knowledge of the Urdu script and the publication of books in Urdu have steadily declined, while policies of

25200-564: The most alive language and moving ahead with times" in India. This phenomenon pertains to the decrease in relative and absolute numbers of native Urdu speakers as opposed to speakers of other languages; declining (advanced) knowledge of Urdu's Perso-Arabic script, Urdu vocabulary and grammar; the role of translation and transliteration of literature from and into Urdu; the shifting cultural image of Urdu and socio-economic status associated with Urdu speakers (which negatively impacts especially their employment opportunities in both countries),

25380-510: The most important castles and forts in Muscat, the Al Jalali Fort and the Al-Mirani Fort are the most prominent buildings left by the Portuguese. On August 16, 1648, the Imam dispatched an army to Muscat, which captured and demolished the high towers of the Portuguese, weakening their grip over the town. Decisively, in 1650, a small but determined body of the Imam's troops attacked the port at night, forcing an eventual Portuguese surrender on January 23, 1650. A civil war and repeated incursions by

25560-421: The neighbouring regions of Tibet and Qinghai . In addition to its significance to reduce Chinese dependence on the Sea of Malacca and South China Sea routes, the port of Gwadar will provide China an alternative and shorter route for energy imports from the Middle East, thereby reducing shipping costs and transit times. The currently available sea-route to China is roughly 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi), while

25740-518: The north-eastern coastline of the city, adjacent to the Gulf of Oman. Other coastal districts of Muscat include Darsait , Mina Al Fahal , Ras Al Hamar, Al Qurum Heights, Al Khuwair, and Al Seeb . Residential and commercial districts further inland include Al Hamriyah , Al Wadi Al Kabir , Ruwi , Al Wattayah, Madinat Qaboos , Al Azaiba and Al Ghubra . Muscat features a hot, arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ) with long, sweltering summers and warm winters. Annual rainfall in Muscat

25920-510: The northern coastline of the city. Volcanic rocks , predominantly serpentinite and diorite are apparent in the Muscat area and extend along the Gulf of Oman coast for ten or twelve 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from the district of Darsait to Yiti. Plutonic rocks constitute the hills and mountains of Muscat and span approximately 30 miles (48 km) from Darsait to Ras Jissah. These igneous rocks consists of serpentinite , greenstone , and basalt , typical of rocks in southeastern regions of

26100-461: The official languages in northern parts of India in 1837. In colonial Indian Islamic schools, Muslims were taught Persian and Arabic as the languages of Indo-Islamic civilisation ; the British, in order to promote literacy among Indian Muslims and attract them to attend government schools, started to teach Urdu written in the Perso-Arabic script in these governmental educational institutions and after this time, Urdu began to be seen by Indian Muslims as

26280-418: The officially recognised languages in India and also has the status of "additional official language" in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh , Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , Jharkhand , West Bengal , Telangana and the national capital territory Delhi . Also as one of the five official languages of Jammu and Kashmir . India established the governmental Bureau for the Promotion of Urdu in 1969, although

26460-523: The oldest automotive agencies in the entire region having been established in 1927. The private Health Care sector of Muscat, Oman has numerous hospitals and clinics. The Muscat Securities Market is the principal stock exchange of Oman. It is located in Central Business District of Muscat and it was established in 1988, and has since distinguished itself as a pioneer among its regional peers in terms of transparency and disclosure regulations and requirements. Mina'a Sultan Qaboos, Muscat's main trading port,

26640-438: The ongoing Hindi–Urdu controversy and modern cultural association of each language with the two religions has led to fewer Hindus using Urdu. In the 20th century, Indian Muslims gradually began to collectively embrace Urdu (for example, 'post-independence Muslim politics of Bihar saw a mobilisation around the Urdu language as tool of empowerment for minorities especially coming from weaker socio-economic backgrounds' ), but in

26820-399: The period between 2007 and 2013. The government of Pakistan also failed to invest in requisite infrastructure works. The Supreme Court of Pakistan further issued a stay order against the allotment of land to PSA on account of a public petition. On 18 February 2013, Pakistan awarded a contract for construction and operation of Gwadar Port to a Chinese state-owned enterprise . As per details of

27000-399: The port were not realised until 2007, when the port was inaugurated by Pervez Musharraf after four years of construction, at a cost of $ 248 million. In 2015, it was announced that the city and port would be further developed under CPEC at a cost of $ 1.62 billion, with the aim of linking northern Pakistan and western China to the deep water seaport. The port will also be the site of

27180-436: The port will also be built as part of CPEC. A $ 114 million desalination plant will be developed to provide potable water to the city, while the Government of Pakistan will also contribute $ 35 million towards infrastructure projects in the Gwadar Special Economic Zone. A 19 kilometre-long dual carriageway known as the Gwadar East Bay Expressway will also be built at a cost of $ 140 million to connect Gwadar Port to

27360-405: The port, at a cost of $ 85 million over the course of 18 months. The berth project represents the only direct investment in port infrastructure mentioned in the May 2016 agreements. Chabahar was developed in 1972 as the oceanic port in Iran , and already features ten berths as of 2016, with a capacity to dock vessels of 80,000 deadweight tonnage. As part of the agreements, India will also offer

27540-415: The port. In addition to construction of nine berths and cargo terminals, plans for expanded port infrastructure also include several projects that will be financed by loans extended by Chinese state owned banks. The Gwadar Port dredging project will deepen approach channels to a depth of 14 meters from the current 11.5-meter depth, at a cost of $ 27 million. Dredging will enable docking of larger ships with

27720-417: The port. PSA also reportedly sought to withdraw from its contract with the Pakistani Government, and expressed willingness to sell its share in the project to a Chinese firm after the Pakistani Navy failed to transfer land required for development of the planned 584-acre free trade zone. PSA also did not invest the agreed $ 550 million into the port, on account of the poor security situation in Balochistan in

27900-454: The position and prestige of English only grew stronger in the meantime. There are over 100 million native speakers of Urdu in India and Pakistan together: there were 50.8 million Urdu speakers in India (4.34% of the total population) as per the 2011 census; and approximately 16 million in Pakistan in 2006. There are several hundred thousand in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United States, and Bangladesh . However, Hindustani, of which Urdu

28080-418: The previous emphasis on Persian. In colonial India, "ordinary Muslims and Hindus alike spoke the same language in the United Provinces in the nineteenth century, namely Hindustani, whether called by that name or whether called Hindi, Urdu, or one of the regional dialects such as Braj or Awadhi ." Elites from Muslim communities, as well as a minority of Hindu elites, such as Munshis of Hindu origin, wrote

28260-407: The project began in 2002 after the agreement for its construction was signed during the state visit of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji in 2001. After completion of Phase 1 in 2007, the first commercial cargo vessel to dock at the port was the "Pos Glory," with 70,000 Metric Tonnes of Wheat on 15 March 2008. The port is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast through

28440-413: The project has faced multiple challenges. The Pakistan government has curbed expansion of mega project due to mounting debt on country's exchequer. The COVID-19 pandemic has further impacted the work on the project. COPHC plans to eventually expand the port's capacity to 400 million tons of cargo per year. Long terms plans for Gwadar Port call for a total of 100 berths to be built by 2045. In September 2018

28620-442: The restive Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, thereby increasing the region's potential to attract public and private investment. The CPEC is considered central to China–Pakistan relations ; its central importance is reflected by China's inclusion of the project as part of its 13th five-year development plan . The Gwadar Port project will also complement China's Western Development plan , which includes not only Xinjiang, but also

28800-486: The same language, Hindustani (or Hindi-Urdu), share a core vocabulary and grammar . Apart from religious associations, the differences are largely restricted to the standard forms : Standard Urdu is conventionally written in the Nastaliq style of the Persian alphabet and relies heavily on Persian and Arabic as a source for technical and literary vocabulary, whereas Standard Hindi is conventionally written in Devanāgarī and draws on Sanskrit . However, both share

28980-430: The share. Upon completion of CPEC-related infrastructure projects, transit times between Kashgar, China and Pakistan's Gwadar Port will be greatly reduced. This will in turn will also reduce transit times to the Kyrgyzstan and hydrocarbon-rich Kazakhstan through already existing overland routes. The Chinese government has already upgraded the road linking Kashgar to Osh, Kyrgyzstan via the Kyrgyz town of Erkeshtam while

29160-417: The shores of the Arabian Sea in the city of Gwadar , located in the Pakistani province of Balochistan . The port is located 533 km from Pakistan's largest city, Karachi , and is approximately 120 km from the Iranian border. It is located 380 km (240 mi) away from Oman , and near key oil shipping lanes from the Persian Gulf . The greater surrounding region is home to around two-thirds of

29340-513: The special economic zone will be exempt from Pakistani income, sales, and federal excise taxes for 23 years. Contractors and subcontractors associated with China Overseas Port Holding Company will be exempt from such taxes for 20 years, while a 40-year tax holiday will be granted for imports of equipment, materials, plants, machinery, appliances and accessories that are to be for construction of Gwadar Port and special economic zone. The special economic zone will be completed in three phases. By 2025, it

29520-583: The style of Urdu spoken on a day-to-day basis in Pakistan is akin to neutral Hindustani that serves as the lingua franca of the northern Indian subcontinent. Since at least 1977, some commentators such as journalist Khushwant Singh have characterised Urdu as a "dying language", though others, such as Indian poet and writer Gulzar (who is popular in both countries and both language communities, but writes only in Urdu (script) and has difficulties reading Devanagari, so he lets others 'transcribe' his work) have disagreed with this assessment and state that Urdu "is

29700-456: The time of Pakistan's independence in 1947, Gwadar remained under Omani authority. Nevertheless, Pakistan started to indicate interest in Gwadar after it acquired control of various Baloch territories, including the Chief Commissioner's Province of British Baluchistan, as well as the states of Kharan , Makran , Lasbela and Kalat . Over the months following independence, Pakistan absorbed these regions into its territory. In 1954, Pakistan engaged

29880-433: The total monetary value of projects has been noted to be significantly less than that of US$ 46 billion CPEC project, evaluated at worth about $ 500 million. As part of the twelve memoranda of understanding signed by Indian and Iranian delegations as per text released by India's Ministry of External Affairs , India Ports Global signed a contract with Iran's Arya Banader to refurbish and reconstruct two existing berths at

30060-408: The two languages' mutual intelligibility effectively decreases as the factor of formality increases. Urdu originated in the area of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab , though significant development occurred in the Deccan Plateau . In 1837, Urdu became an official language of the British East India Company , replacing Persian across northern India during Company rule ; Persian had until this point served as

30240-425: The two official languages of Pakistan (along with English). It is spoken and understood throughout the country, whereas the state-by-state languages (languages spoken throughout various regions) are the provincial languages , although only 7.57% of Pakistanis speak Urdu as their first language. Its official status has meant that Urdu is understood and spoken widely throughout Pakistan as a second or third language. It

30420-411: The word Muscat is disputed. Some authors claim that the word has Arabic origins – from moscha , meaning an inflated hide or skin . Other authors claim that the name Muscat means anchorage or the place of "letting fall the anchor" . Other derivations include muscat from Old Persian , meaning strong-scented , or from Arabic , meaning falling-place , or hidden . Cryptus Portus

30600-455: The world , with 230 million total speakers, including those who speak it as a second language . The name Urdu was first used by the poet Ghulam Hamadani Mushafi around 1780 for Hindustani language even though he himself also used Hindavi term in his poetry to define the language. Ordu means army in the Turkic languages . In late 18th century, it was known as Zaban-e-Urdu-e-Mualla زبانِ اُرْدُوئے مُعَلّٰی means language of

30780-456: The world's proven oil reserves . It is also the nearest warm-water seaport to the landlocked , but hydrocarbon rich, Central Asian Republics , as well as Afghanistan . The port is situated on a rocky outcropping in the Arabian sea that forms part of a natural hammerhead-shaped peninsula protruding out from the Pakistani coastline. The peninsula, known as the Gwadar Promontory, consists of rocky outcropping reaching an altitude of 560 feet with

30960-429: Was Rs 32.324 million. The Straits of Malacca provide China with its shortest maritime access to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Approximately 80% of its Middle Eastern and African energy imports also pass through the Straits of Malacca. As the world's biggest oil importer , energy security is a key concern for China while current sea routes used to import Middle Eastern and African oil are frequently patrolled by

31140-415: Was also marked the transfer of the concession agreement from the PSA to the COPHC. As per this agreement, 91% of the revenue generated by Gwadar Port will go to COPHC and 9% to Gwadar Port Authority. In March 2019, the Pakistani Senate was informed that during last three years, total gross revenue of Rs 358.151 million had been generated from Gwadar Port, out of which the share going to Gwadar Port Authority

31320-512: Was completed in 1992, and formal proposals for a deep sea port at Gwadar were unveiled a year later in 1993. The federal government approved the construction of the port in December 1995 but the project could not get started because of shortage of funds. In 1997, a government-appointed task force identified Gwadar as one of the focus area of development, but the project did not launch due to economic sanctions imposed against Pakistan following its nuclear tests in May 1998 . Construction on Phase 1 of

31500-568: Was completed in December 2006, but inaugurated on 20 March 2007. The first phase of construction at Gwadar Port began in 2002, and was completed in 2006, before inauguration in 2007. The second phase of construction is currently underway as part of planned improvements under CPEC and other ancillary projects. The total project is expected to cost $ 1.02 billion. In Sep 2018, the Pakistan Senate expressed concern at slow rate of progress of most projects of Phase II at Gwadar as construction had not started for most projects. Ongoing: Planned: Under

31680-409: Was inaugurated by Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif ; the first convoy was seen off by the then Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff , General Raheel Sharif . On 14 January 2020, Pakistan operationalized Gwadar Port for Afghan transit trade. On 31 May 2021, Gwadar Port became fully operational, along with the availability of online booking for the delivery of goods. Gwadar Port is situated on

31860-436: Was initially discovered in 1998. Later underwater excavations took place between 2013 and 2015 through a partnership between the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Blue Water Recoveries Ltd., a shipwreck recovery company. The vessel was identified through such artifacts as a "Portuguese coin minted for trade with India (one of only two coins of this type known to exist) and stone cannonballs engraved with what appear to be

32040-425: Was intentioned as means of unification for Muslims in Northern India and later Pakistan, it adopted a modified Perso-Arabic script. Urdu continued its role in developing a Pakistani identity as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established with the intent to construct a homeland for the Muslims of Colonial India. Several languages and dialects spoken throughout the regions of Pakistan produced an imminent need for

32220-401: Was leased to Chinese Company in November 2015 for the construction of Gwadar Economic Zone., while construction of the project began on 20 June 2016. The special economic zone is expected to employ approximately 40,000 people, with possibility for future expansion. The special economic zone will include manufacturing zones, logistics hubs, warehouses, and display centres. Business established in

32400-452: Was referred to as "Moors", which simply meant Muslim, by European writers. John Ovington wrote in 1689: The language of the Moors is different from that of the ancient original inhabitants of India but is obliged to these Gentiles for its characters. For though the Moors dialect is peculiar to themselves, yet it is destitute of Letters to express it; and therefore, in all their Writings in their Mother Tongue, they borrow their letters from

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