Welcome To Adnan Asim's City ' Karachi '

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Welcome to ' Karachi ' city. The everyday lifestyle of Karachi differs substantially from that of other Pakistani towns. Culture of Karachi is characterized by the blending of Middle Eastern, South Asian and Western influences, as well as the status of the city as a major international business center. As a whole, there is considerable diversity in culture, and this diversity has produced unique cultural amalgam of its own type. Karachiites are urbane in humour, pragmatic in approach and rational in practice. Professionalism is appreciated over emotional and conservative attitude. Most of the dwellers live in medium sized houses and apartments / flats rather large open space houses of other cities in Pakistan. Karachi also hosts the largest middle class stratum of the country. Skewed difference of living standard and showy feudal living style do not exist in Karachi. Nearly all parties, functions and celebrations are scheduled at night time.

Karachi has the highest literacy rate, and the highest number of universities and colleges, of any of Pakistan's other cities. The city is well-known for its young student population, who flock from all parts of Pakistan. Most universities of Karachi are considered to be the premier educational institutions of Pakistan, and hence the admissions process is intensely competitive with only the brightest and talented making their way into Karachi University, NED University, Aga Khan University, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Indus Valley Institute of Art and Architecture ..........
 

Here, I tried my best to introduce Karachi. The topics covered here are ;

1) History    2) Modern And Developed Karachi    3) Places To Visit

Karachi Zone Time Info : ( GMT + 5:00 ) Karachi, Islamabad, Tashkent * Click Here To View World Current Time *

History 

Karachi is the capital city of the province of Sindh and the largest city of Pakistan. It is situated on the eastern coast of the Arabian Sea.

This metropolitan city of Karachi was until 1725 A.D. just a barren piece of land, washed on three sides by the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. A few fishermen lived in small huts on the sunny creek. There was a pool of water on this barren piece of land which was known as Kalachi-jo-Kun. Kalachi was the name of the fisherman whereas Kun meant a deep ditch. Therefore, "Kalachi-jo-Kun" meant the deep ditch of Kalachi, the fisherman.

A few mud huts sprang around this point and their numbers increased. Gradually a village came into being. This village was called as Kalachi-jo-Ghote.  

The city was developed as a port and trade centre by Hindu merchants in 18^th century.

In 1839, Karachi, a small fishing and trade centre, was captured by the British and annexed three years later. Under British rule, it became the chief outlet for Indus Valley cotton  and grain exports. Fifty years after the arrival of the British, who built a military cantonment here, some of the main features of the modern city had been laid down, including the Bohri Bazaar, Saddar Bazaar and Empress Market-still Karachi's luxury shopping area. The British made the city the seat of the Sindh government, a military outpost, and a major seaport.

In 1947 the new state of Pakistan was born and Karachi was established as its capital. During the early years of independence Karachi grew rapidly as the chief port and industrial centre of West Pakistan, and many Muslim refugees from India settled here.

Though Karachi is no longer Pakistan's capital, having surrendered that honor to Islamabad in 1959, its dominance in the national economy is beyond dispute. The city is considered as commercial and industrial capital of Pakistan. The port is one of the most important shipping-centres in South Asia. About one quarter of the country's industry is located here.

Karachi is a Cosmopolitan city with people coming from different parts of the world. It is a mingling of old and new, east and west. It has absorbed the charm and beauty of modern and conventional way of life.

Modern And Developed Karachi

Being the largest and the most populous city of Pakistan, Karachi presents an interesting and colorful combination of the old and new traditions. The narrow twisted lanes and alleys of the old city throb with life along-side the wide metalled roads and elegant modern buildings. Within the city, one may find talented artisans with age-old skills producing handicrafts of exquisite beauty.

Karachi is Pakistan's busiest commercial city hosting great activities in trade, industry, education etc. It is an ultra-modern city, equipped with the most modern cinemas, recreational clubs, hotels and restaurants. The sea is the most exciting and romantic part of Karachi. There are beautiful beaches at Sandspit, Sommiani and Hawks Bay. These places are excellent picnic resorts and with their peaceful and tranquil surroundings they provide adequate fun and enjoyment to tourists and locals alike. Adding to tourist attraction are numerous water related activities like yachting, water-skiing and cruising etc. The presence of huge and tall buildings have given Karachi a grandeur and majestic appearance. The Quaid ( Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah) mausoleum is the most important monument in Karachi. With all its splendor and beauty, The Quaid Mausoleum stands gracefully in the heart of Karachi whereby combining classical oriental architecture with modern day architectural designs. The Quaid's birthplace, Wazir Mansion, has also been preserved as a national archive

To provide convenience to tourists, Karachi has a state-of-the-art international airport accommodating flights from all over the world. It has thus become the "Gateway to Pakistan". Karachi welcomes people from all parts of the world. It pictures a mingling of varieties; old and new, east and west. It looks as if, Karachi has truly absorbed the charm and beauty of modern and conventional way of life. Offering a host of cultural and social activities, Karachi has truly positioned itself to become a famous tourist temptation.

Karachi - Places To Visit

Well ! Let me show you a glimpse of some places to visit in and near Karachi. ( Some places will be further defined in detail ).

Karachi offers a variety of pleasant attractions: wide sunny beaches, deep-sea fishing, yachting, golf and horse racing all-year round. Its restaurants provide a wide choice of Pakistani and Western cuisine. Its markets and bazaar offer and endless variety of exciting shopping including indigenous handicrafts, rugs and carpets of rare design and beauty.

A good place to start is the Quaid-e-Azam Mausoleum, a monument to Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah. More impressive is the remarkable white-marbled Defence Housing Society Mosque. The single dome, claimed to be the largest of its kind in the world, will make your gum cleave to the roof of your mouth. Above the mosque is Honeymoon Lodge, Birthplace Of The Agha Khan. Other sights include the Holy Trinity Cathedral and St Andrew's Church (both good examples of Anglo-Indian architecture) and, The City's Zoo. South of the city is Clifton, a former British hangout. Clifton Beach, Keenjhar Lake And Manora Island, are best places to have picnic.

Saddar, the city centre, is the main shopping area with thriving markets selling carpets, fur coats, leather jackets, snake-skin purses, silk scarves and the country's biggest range of handicrafts. It also has a number of food stalls and cheap restaurants and the majority of budget hotels. Nightlife in Karachi is an oxymoron.  Besides this, The Best shopping centers of Karachi are Tariq Road And Hyderi Shopping Market.

If travel outside of Karachi is possible, then the archaeological site of Moenjodaro - once a city of an Indus Valley civilisation - and the Chaukundi tombs are well worth a visit.

Moenjodaro : About 563 km (350 miles) from Karachi on the Super Highway via Dadu, lies Moenjodaro, one of the sites of the world famous Indus Valley Civilization. The Archeaological Museum in Moenjodaro is definitely worth a visit. Another site of the Indus Valley Civilization is at Harappa near Sahiwal. For Moenjodaro, air and train services are available from Karachi.

Today, after many years of excavation, Moenjodaro has come to be known as one of the most spectacular ancient cities of the world. Whether it shared its leadership with Harappa or not, it was certainly a metropolis of the first order.

It had mud-brick and baked-brick buildings, an elaborate covered drainage system with soak-pits for disposal bins, a large state granary, a spacious pillared hall, a College of Priests, a large and imposing building (probably a palace), and a citadel mound which incorporates in its margin a system of solid burnt brick towers. Efforts are being made to save the ruins from crumbling due to rising water table.

Chaukundi Tombs : 27.35 kms (17 miles) out of Karachi on the National Highway on a high ground area a cluster of unusual graves built in the shape of slabs upon slabs of rectangles (hence the name four-sided). These date back to 16th-18th centuries. The distinguishing feature of these graves is the superb carving and engraving of the sandstone slabs with various floral motifs and designs of jewelry (on those of females) and of horses and swords (for the males).

Banbhore : About 64 km (40 miles) east of Karachi is Banbhore, an archeaological site which some scholars identify with Daibul, the port city where the Arab general, Mohammad Bin Qasim, landed in 712 A.D. The Museum at site houses a rich collection of painted pottery, coins, beads etc.

Haleji Lake : Asia's greatest water fowl reserve, Haleji lake is 70 km (about 52 miles) from Karachi. During winter, a hundred thousand birds fly down to Haleji from the cold of Siberia. It is a bird watchers' paradise.

Thatta : Thatta, about 98 km (61 miles) east of Karachi, remained the capital of Sind for about four centuries. Today, it is notable for a vast necropolis of a million graves scattered over an area of 10 sq. km. (six sq. miles) on Makli Hills. Some of these tombs and graves are exquisite specimens of architecture, stone-carving and glazed tile decorations. Also in Thatta is the Shahjahan Mosque built on the orders of Emperor Shahjahan. Its blue tiles and mosaic work are alluring.