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Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi. c.1930s
Established in 1925, the Hindu Gymkhana was the first public building in Karachi to boldly adopt the Mughal-Revival style. It was a club for the Hindu upper classes, who formed a strong commercial elite in Karachi in the years before Independence in 1947.
The building is designed by Muslim architect Agha Ahmed Hussain and the plan and massing was based on the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah in Agra. Hindu Gymkhana now houses the National Academy of Performing Arts.
The Karachi Race Course was built in 1913, when Pakistan was under British rule. Pictured above is a racehorse on the original track, located behind the Cantonment Railway Station, Karachi’s main train hub. Horse racing and casinos flourished in Karachi during the 1970s, before gambling was banned. Still, the new Karachi Course, built in 1989, holds several races each week.