Old Karachi

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1960's Bunder Road Now M.A. Jinnah Road.

Bunder’ means port, and during the colonial days Karachi was designed in such a way that a major portion of the road featured shops constructed at designated places. The road came to be known as Bunder Rd as it led to Keamari, Karachi’s port.

After the death of the Founder of the Nation, Bunder Road was renamed M.A. Jinnah Road.

In 1950's Palace Hotel

 

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Jehangir Kothari Parade, Clifton, Karachi in 1950's

Jehangir Kothari Parade is a promenade built on land bequeathed or donated by Seth Jehangir Hormusji Kothari to the city of Karachi in 1919.

It is situated on a hilltop in the Clifton area of the city famous for its Seaview Beach on the Arabian Sea which was built in 1919 and opened to Karachi public in 1920.

 

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Early 1060

1950s

 

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Aerial View of Frere hall 1920's ....

 

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Lea Market was constructed in 1927 in an area established as a trading hub.

It was named after Measham Lea, an Englishman who served as an Engineer at Municipal Corporation. Somehow Lea became part of vernacular much easily than the rest. Today every Karachi Walla must have heard of Lea Market, if not visited.

Lea Market is situated in Napier quarters which historically has been trading hub.

It was one of the first areas developed out of the walled city of Talpur’s Karachi and it continued expanding under British rule as trading center.

Lea Market was built much later in the same area at one of the most accessible location.

Today it is at the intersection of Napier Road, Siddiq Wahab Road, River Street and Sheedi Village Road.

While the accessibility makes Lea Market an attractive choice for retailers, wholesalers and customers, it also makes the surrounding area most polluted and congested. Traffic moves slowly and you have to remain vigilant before taking one step in any direction.

The market has separate spaces for fruit & vegetables, fish, milk and meat. Milk and Meat markets were added at later stages and original building housed fish and Vegetable market in separate wings, much similar to Butcher’s section at Empress with high ceiling and basic amenities.

However vegetable wing is being used for storing vegetables which possibly pushed vegetables retailers out around the clock tower and some in fish market.

The clock tower takes the central stage in Market’s layout and depicts the state of affairs at Lea Market. The legs of clock are frozen in time and the staircase to the tower is locked. Through the openings I could see that its been used for storage as well.

You have to fight for space with pedestrians, carts, cyclists, hawkers and vehicles to enter Lea Market. The iconic clock tower can guide you to the main entrance from a distance, otherwise you can enter from many openings to the trapezoid structure, but mind you that you can get lost in the sea of encroachments and end up making little sense of the design of a multipurpose market, planned very well otherwise.

1950s, temporary shops becoming permanent encroachments

 

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1977

Hotel Farooq and Restaurant, Elphinstone Street Karachi in 1950's..

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Karachi Harbor Kemari in 1950's

Karachi Port

Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi in 1900's:

The first church in Karachi was initially built on the grounds of this cathedral in 1845, and was called St. Patrick’s Church. It was in April 1881 that the present cathedral was opened, since the Catholic community grew in number, and the need for a larger place of worship became apparent. Despite the construction of the new building, the little church continued to function until it was destroyed by a storm in 1885.

 

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1950`s

Street scene 1950

Victoria road Frere road intersection. Cafe George in right corner bldg.

 

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1920s: Merewether Clock Tower Karachi

 

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Frere Hall Karachi in 1865:

The building was intended to serve as Karachi's town hall, and was designed by Henry Saint Clair Wilkins.

The building's land was purchased at a cost of 2,000 British Indian rupees, which had been donated by WP Andrew of the Scinde Railway, and Sir Frederick Arthur Bartholomew. The total cost of the Hall was about 180,000 rupees, out of which the Government contributed 10,000 rupees, while the rest was paid for by Karachi municipality. Work commenced in August 1863, and completed in October 1865, though work on the building had not been entirely completed by the time of its inauguration.

Empress Market Karachi in 1920's:

Empress Market was designed by city engineer James Strachan in the Domestic Gothic style. It was a symmetrical building designed around a courtyard, with an atrium at the entrance. The market had a frontage of 231 ft on Preedy Street, and had four galleries 46 ft wide surrounding a central courtyard measuring 130 ft x 100 ft. The design utilized delicately carved column capitals, carved stone brackets supporting the balcony projections, as well as lots of other carved elements that demonstrated the skill of the local craftsmen employed in its construction. The tall central tower was built to a height of 140 ft. This imposing clock tower was twelve feet higher than that of the Crawford Markets of Bombay, and had a large chiming clock (which unfortunately no longer works). Skeleton clock dials were placed on all four sides of the tower. The market was surrounded by gardens because of which, the area came to be regarded as the Empress Market Gardens by the people of Karachi.

 

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Clifton, Karachi early 1900s

 

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New Year's Eve 1954 at Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi..

The crowd dancing during a performance by The Panthers, a Karachi rock band, at a New Year's Eve Ball in 60s

1900

A shot of the South Napier Road, McLeod Road, Karachi in c.1940s.

 

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Street Vendor, Karachi in 1969 ..

 

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Mitharam Hostel, Karachi