Ormara

Ormara is a port town of 40,000 people, located along the Makran Coastal Highway, in the Pakistan Province of Balochistan, approx 5 hours drive drive from Karachi and about 230 km east of Gwadar Port City, a major export hub for Pakistan and Iran.

The city owes its name to Alexander, the Great Macedonian, who stayed here with his army in 400 BC, on his way back from conquering the lands of Sindh, Punjab in the Indus region and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One of his generals, Ormoz, died here and the city was named after him.

Khojas have lived in Ormara for centuries, although most of its residents are ethnic Balouch who continue make their livelihood from fishing. Also starting as fishermen, Khojas moved into the retail trade as well as into owning fishing trawlers and selling fish for export to the Middle East. Later, many moved to growing Port City of Gwadar and Karachi and carried on the fish export business. A good number relocated to the Middle East, particularly Oman, Bahrain and Muscat, where they still live.

Recently, Ormara has witnessed some growth as a result of the construction of the Makran Coastal Highway and a Pakistani Naval Base.

Feet awashed by Arabian Sea in the South, Ormara is blessed with clean, golden sandy beaches. The peculiar flora, fauna and animal species in the surrounding arid mountains adds to the stark beauty to the area.