Empress Market

Location: Saddar, Karachi

The Empress Market , situated at Saddar Karachi was built in 1889 and was named in honor of Queen Victoria, the impress of the British Empire in South Asia. The empress market is a fine example of British Colonial architecture. It is the central shopping area of Karachi and has immense character as a result of being situated in the heart of Saddar Bazaar; the hub of all business activities in Karachi.

Jinnah House Museum

Location: Fatima Jinnah Road, Karachi

Jinnah House Museum also known as Flag Staff House was purchased by the Father of Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1947 from its owner Sohrab Katrak, a leading citizen of Karachi. Designed by Engineer Moncriff for the Karachi Brigade Commander, it was built in the colonial style with buff stone in fine ashler masonry around the year 1865. This approximate date is recorded from the tiles used on the roof which bear the inscription Patent Basel Mission Tile Works, 1865. Upon construction it was used as the residence of Gen. Douglas Gracy, Commanding Officer of Sind Area, i.e. it was the official Residence of the GOC and hence it was known as the Flag Staff House. The 10, 214 sq yd plot of land and the House are now owned by the Federal Ministry of Culture which plans to convert it into a Museum-cum-Library in memory of the Quaid-e-Azam. It is presently being restored.

D. J. Science College - Karachi

Location: Karachi

Designed by James Strachan and considered this architect's greatest achievement, the college was built between 1887 and 1893. Named after the Sindhi philanthropist Dayaram Jethmal, whose two family members contributed towards its cost, the building was constructed in the neoclassical, or 'Italian architectural style'. A considerable amount of money was spent on the interior of the college; the floors comprised mosaic tiles imported from Belgium and the eight-foot wide main staircase was fitted with ornamental cast-iron work from McFarlane & Company of Glasgow. Karachi, once the capital of Pakistan, is now the capital of Sindh province and the major port and main commercial centre of the country. It was a strategically located small port at a protected natural harbour on the Arabian Sea north-west of the mouth of the Indus, and was developed and expanded by the British when they took over Sindh in the mid-19th century to serve the booming trade from the Punjab and the wheat and cotton regions of the sub-continent.

Karachi Port Trust Building

Location: M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi

This Renaissance Style building, designed by G. Wittet, Consulting Architect to the Government of Bombay, is located opposite Qamar House, a short distance away from Merewether Tower. Completed in 1915 at a cost of Rs. 9,74,990 it was inaugurated by Lord Willingdon, Governor of Bombay on Jan 5, 1916. A month later it was converted into a 500-bed military hospital for British forces engaged in World War I and was named No.1 Indian General Hospital. From May 6, 1919 when the military vacated the premises, it was reconverted to its original use. Three storeys in height, the ground floor has channeled masonary walls , while the two upper storeys, treated in continuity, are adorned with architraves, friezes and cornices.

Liaquat Hall - Frere Hall

Location: Abdullah Haroon Road, Karachi

Raised in memory of Sir Bartle Frere (Commissioner of Sindh 1851-1859, this Venetian Gothic style building was designed by Colonel Clair Wilkins whose proposal was selected from 12 entries, in what was perhaps the first recorded architectural design competition for a public building in Sindh. Completed in 1865 at a cost of Rs.1,80,000 out of which Rs. 22,500 was raised for the memorial through public donations, the building was officially inaugurated by Commissioner Mansfield on 10th Oct. 1865. The gardens around the building were added in 1887-88 by Mr. Benjamin Flinch. Originally the statues of Queen Victoria and King Edward (both of which have now been removed), adorned the garden. The upper floor of this two storied yellowish Karachi limestone building, consists of a 70 ft x 24 ft hall and an orchestral gallery. In yesteryears this building was the hub of Karachi’s socio-cultural activities and also served as a Town Hall with regular public meetings, concerts and theatrical performances. The ground floor is now occupied by the Liaquat Municipal Library.

Location: M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi

Head Office of Karachi Municipal Corporation Since 1932.

Location: Clifton, Karachi

Access to the sea at Clifton is provided by the terraced Parade known as the Jehangir Kothari Parade. The site, owned by Mr. Jehangir H. Kothari, an eminent Karachi citizen, who gifted it alongwith a handsome donation Rs. 300,000 to the Municipality for the development of recreational facilities. The foundation stone was laid by the Governor of Bombay, Sir George Lloyd on 10th February, 1919 and formally opened by Lady Lloyd on 5th January, 1920. The Lady Lloyd Pier was also opened by her on 21st March, 1921. The Kiosk at one end of the parade, with its elliptical roof structure, built in Jodhpur stone, has an octagonal seat in the center and was used as a Bandstand in yester-years. A temple of Shiva lies below the Parade, with rock gardens on both sides. The pier is 1300 ft long, 15 ft wide and ends in a 70 ft by 50 ft sea-side Pavilion constructed on piles. Gizri limestone and Jodhpur stone were used for its construction. 

Location: Karachi

The design of the Merewether Memorial employs the form of an Eleanor Cross and is in the English Medieval style. There are spires which could have served as a basis for the design of this memorial; for example, St. Mary at Bloxham, St. Peter at Kettering, St. Peter at Raunds and Meven St. Mary at Oxford. In fact, each one may have provided an ingredient or two for the design of this fine memorial tower.

Building designers of the time had become increasingly aware of the capabilities of Indian craftsmen, thus the skill and craftsmanship which has been available to medieval builders was also at Strachan's disposal. Strachan was no doubt aware of the intricate carving executed by native craftsmen for the baserellets designed by Kipling for the Crawford Markets and the then under construction Victoria Terminus. The Memorial shows a heightened sensitivity to detailing and an emphasis on carving and decoration, more then my other building designed by Strachan. Whereas the Empress Market's tower is a little squat, the Merewether Tower is elegant and tall, evoking memories of medieval England.

It was named for Merewether, who served as 'Commissioner-in-Sindh' from 1868 to 1877. Richard Burton, on his last visit to Karachi, paid a tribute to his friend while describing the Government House: " It is at present occupied by General Sir William L. Merewether, K.C.S.I. etc.etc.etc. an officer who, by entire devotion to the interests of his province, the scene of his distinguished career during the last thirty-three years, has made epoch' and history" (Burton 1877:1.76) Burton's opinion of Merewether's services were no doubt shared by others. Initially, a pier had been named in memory of the former 'Commissioner-in-Sindh'. Constructed by the Karachi Harbour Board, which had been formed in 1880, the Merewether Pier had cost three lakh rupees (1882). However, it was later decided that a worthy and visible memorial was in order - a memorial tower of such "prominence as to dominate the skyline of the city" to be built by public subscription. The Tower was placed at the confluence of McLeod and Bunder Road, at the extreme western end of the Serai Quarter, an area which was developed into a thriving commercial center concurrently with the rising fortunes of the city. The Memorial took eight years to complete, and was handed over to the Municipality in 1892 by 'Commissioner-in-Sindh' Evan James. The total cost of the structure and its clock was merely Rs. 37,178 compared to the Rs. 180,000 lavished on the much bigger memorial to Bartle Frere, Frere Hall.

The Memorial Tower stands on a platform 44 feet square and rises to a height of 102 feet. It prominently displays the clock placed at the base of the spire, 70 feet from the ground. Each of the clock's four faces is seven feet in diameter. The large bell installed at the time weighed three hundred weight and struck at every hour, while the smaller bells weighed one hundred weight each and marked every quarter of an hour.

Alamgiri Gate

Behind Alamgiri Gate

Diwan-e-Aam: Hall of Public Audience

Naulakha Pavilion, built by Shah Jahan in 1632, is located on the western side of the Shish Mahal courtyard. It consists of a single rectangular room in marble with a typical convex roof in the style of a Bengal hut. It has three openings in front, one on each side, and a perforated marble screen at the back. It is a superb specimen of extremely minute and delicate pietra dura work in semi-precious stone, with beehive ornamentation on its pillars.

Jahangir's Quardangle was begun by Akbar and completed by Jahangir in 1618 AD. On the east and west it is surrounded by a row of dalans (porticoes) in the trabeate (beam and bracket) style. There is a large garden inside the quadrangle with a spacious tank in the centre.

Zenana Sehan (Ladies' Courtyard), built by Shah Jahan in 1633. It was primarily built for the ladies of the harem and was specifically designed with paved paths or walks for the ladies of the fort. In the center of the garden there is a big water basin, made of red sandstone. Only the foundations of the ladies apartments and their private mosque survive.

Location: Lahore

The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila citadel of the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern corner of Lahore, adjacent to the Walled City. Some of the famous sites within the fort are: Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha pavilion, and Moti Masjid. The fort is 1,400 feet long and 1,115 feet wide. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Shalamar Gardens.

Location: Karachi

Karachi with its carved cupolas and the miniaturized magnificence of a Rajasthani place the Hindu Gymkhana has almost been adwarfed into invisibility by indiscreet development. Constructed in 1925 on a plot of land measuring 47,000 sq. yds. The Seth Ramgopal Goverdhandas Mohatta Hindu Gymkhana was the first public building in which the sub-continental style of architecture rather than the commonly used European-style was used by its architect Mr. Agha Ahmed Hussain. The stones, for its two feet thick walls, were brought from Bajapur. Its cupolas and balustrades and its scale are directly influenced and derived from the Mughal-Hindu mixed style which characterizes Akber's Fathepur Sikri. It is perhaps the only example of its type left in Karachi.

Outside Main Entrance

Main Entrance

Garden

Entryway to inner courtyard

Four-tiered minaret

Pietra dura detail

Corridor

Entrance to the tomb chamber

Artwork

Jahangir's final resting place

Jahangir's grave

Location: Shahdara, Lahore

Tomb of Jahangir, is the mausoleum built for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled from 1605 to 1627. The mausoleum is located near the town of Shahdara in Lahore, Pakistan. His son Shah Jahan built the mausoleum 10 years after his father's death. It is sited in an attractive walled garden. It has four 30 meter high minarets. The interior is embellished with frescoes and pietra dura inlay and colored marble.