Pictorial History - Cultural, Artistic, Natural Heritage of Pakistan

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Khaliq Dina Hall Karachi:

The full name of the hall is ‘Ghulam Hussain Khaliq Deena Hall’ which is prominently stated on the pediment along with the year of its construction: 1906. It was built to provide a platform for literary pursuits of muslim population of Karachi. Ghulam Hussain Khaliq Deena, a well know philanthropist from Khoja community who donated Rs. 18,000 for the construction of the hall. The total cost of the project was Rs. 33,000. The rest of the funding was provided by the Karachi Municipal Corporation. The place assumed historical significance in 1921 when it was chosen by British to host Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar trial for indictment to mutiny. It was backlash for the Khilafat Conference which was held from July 8 to 10, 1921, which called muslims of India to start civil disobedience if British Govt. fought the Angora Government (the Turkish National Government). The trial was known as ‘Trial of Sedition’. Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar narrowly escaped the indictment but it did not deterred him from his cause. Later the building became a symbol of resistance against the British.

 

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1961: Queen Elizabeth II in Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

 

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Fatima Jinnah remembered for dynamic role in Pakistan freedom movement

July 09, 2019

The 51st death anniversary of Madar-e-Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was observed with reverence and respect across the country on Tuesday.

Fatima Jinnah still remembered for her passionate support for civil rights and devoted struggle in Pakistan Movement.

Various political parties and women wings of many organisations have arranged conferences and seminars to highlight the services rendered by the sister of Quaid-e-Azam.

In this connection, Nazrya-e-Pakistan Trust in collaboration with the Tehrik-e-Pakistan Workers Trust organized a Quran Khawni session at Aiwan-e-Karkunan-e-Tehrik-e-Pakistan in Lahore today.

Fatima Jinnah is referred to as the Madar-e-Millat or Mother of the Nation for her dynamic role in the Pakistan freedom movement.

She died in Karachi on 9th July 1967.

 

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1931 first motor vehicles arrive in Gilgit and Hunza via Burzil pass, Srinagar kashmir

PC MOUNTAIN HERITAGE ARCHIVES

 

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Karachi in 1889

Karachi was developed as a port and trading center by Hindu merchants in the early 18th Century. When the British seized Karachi in 1839, it had about 10,000 inhabitants. They made it the seat of the Sindh government. Fifty years later it had grown to over 150,000 inhabitants. Situated on top of the Indus river delta, it became the port of choice for produce flowing in and out of Sindh, Baluchistan and the newly irrigated lands of the Punjab. In 1932, with the opening of the Sukkur Barrage in northern Sindh, the city again grew enormously.

OLD CITY VIEWS

These two pictures were most likely taken from the bell tower of the Trinity Church

Looking towards the St. Patrick's Cathedral over the Staff Lines

Looking towards the Civil Lines, the Sindh Club is in the foreground, and the Frere Hall can be seen at the back

View of the dense old native town by the end of the 19th century. This view is from Bundar Road.

Gandhi Garden at Karachi

Empress Market, Karachi - 1917

The 1890's saw the emergence of the Punjab as the granary of India and Karachi was the region's principal outlet. This brought many business opportunities to Karachi and the population of the city expanded. Consequently, revenues of the city also increased and public works projects were undertaken on a grand scale. Boulton Market was built in 1883, and in 1890, the grand Empress Market was constructed to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign. This monumental structure with a clock tower was designed to compete with the Crawford Market of Bombay and was designed to be 12 feet higher. The market quickly gained a position in the city's center.

Star Cinema, Front and Garden View, Karachi - 1917

Star Cinema, Proscenium View, Karachi - 1917

 

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1960s: Street Scene in Karachi
court house

 

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Palace Hotel Karachi :

The old Palace hotel and now Sheraton Hotel.
An eminent philanthropist, Ardeshir Mama, built a home to accommodate his 21 children which was famously called Mama’s Mansion. The building was constructed soon after the First World War. It is said that a small bistro was established by Mama. However, when he ran into debt, the property was forfeited to the Punjab government. In the early 1930s, Sidney Marder, a European Jewish Karachiite bought the place and relocated his hotel Killarney to Mama’s Mansion and renamed it as ‘Killarney Hotel- Marder’s Palace. Killarney was used extensively as lodging for US officers. The hotel ran well till after the World War II. Marder sold the property sometime in 1946-47 and left the country. Mr Advani states the Singhs of Calcutta ran the hotel. It is possible that Sidney Marder sold it to them. In the years that followed, it simply became the Palace. “After partition, the Indians were allowed to maintain private properties in Pakistan”. In 1967, the government took over the Palace and it was sold to the Ramchandani family who operated it till it was bought by Sadruddin Ghanji,” shares Advani. Ghanji demolished the old structure and built the current Hotel Sheraton on its grave.

Pictures from the period show that the name of the hotel was written as a neon sign on its dome. In other pictures, the name was seen affixed to the rooftop. The hotel held an important place in the social life of the city. The Palace Hotel, from 1948 to 1953 was the residential enclave of foreign diplomats. The Palace also attracted a regular crowd of intellectuals soon after partition. It is said that Faiz Ahmed Faiz would be a part of those gatherings whenever he passed through the city.

Since nightclubs were very popular and socially acceptable back then, the Palace too housed such a facility by the name of Le Gourmet. The main attraction at Le Gourmet were the jazz musicians from abroad, although many old-timers have doubted this fact. Local Jazz musicians such as the Francisco band also performed at the Palace in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The famous cabaret dancer of yesteryear, Marzi Kanga, also performed at Le Gourmet. After such venues were shut down, Kanga went abroad to perform at international hotspots.

 

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Allama Iqbal (far right) in London for the Second Round Table Conference in 1931 | Iqbal in Pictures

 

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Allama Iqbal with Sheikh Muhammad Ikram
Photo Courtesy : Rashid Ashraf

ﻋﻘﻞ ﻣﯽ ﮔﻮﯾﺪ ﮐﮧ ﺧﻮﺩﺭﺍﭘﯿﺶ ﮐﻦ
ﻋﺸﻖ ﮔﻮﯾﺪ ﺍﻣﺘﺤﺎﻥ ﺧﻮﯾﺶ ﮐ

ﻋﻘﻞ ﮐﮩﺘﯽ ﮨﮯ ﮐﮧ ﺧﻮﺩ ﮐﻮ ﭘﯿﺶ ﮐﺮ ﮨﺘﮭﯿﺎﺭ ﮈﺍﻝ ﺩﮮ
ﻋﺸﻖ ﮐﮩﺘﺎ ﮨﮯ ﮐﮧ ﺍﭘﻨﯽ ﺧﻮﺩﯼ ﮐﺎ ﺍﻣﺘﺤﺎﻥ ﮐﺮ

ﻋﻘﻞ ﺑﺎ ﻏﯿﺮ ﺍٓﺷﻨﺎ ﺍﺯ ﺍﮐﺘﺴﺎﺏ
ﻋﺸﻖ ﺍﺯ ﻓﻀﻞ ﺍﺳﺖ ﻭ ﺑﺎﺧﻮﺩ ﺩﺭﺣﺴﺎﺏ

ﻋﻘﻞ ﺍﭘﻨﺎ ﺣﺴﺎﺏ ﮐﺮﻭﺍﻧﮯ ﮐﮯ ﻟﺌﮯ ﻏﯿﺮﻭﮞ ﺳﮯ ﺍٓﺷﻨﺎﺋﯽ ﺍﺧﺘﯿﺎﺭ ﮐﺮﺗﯽ ﮨﮯ
ﺟﺒﮑﮧ ﻋﺸﻖ ﺧﺪﺍ ﮐﮯ ﻓﻀﻞ ﺳﮯ ﺍﭘﻨﺎ ﺣﺴﺎﺏ ﺧﻮﺩ ﮐﺮ ﻟﯿﺘﺎ ﮨﮯ.

 

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Construction of Lansdowne bridge Sukkur in 1843

 

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Sikh National College - Lahore 1938-47

Sikh National College, one of the oldest and historical educational institutions of the region, was established in June 1938 at Lahore, with S. Niranjan Singh as its founder principal.

After Partition, the building was taken over by then Maclagan Engineering College (later West Pakistan Engineering College and todays University of Engineering and Technology -UET)

 

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