Top 15 Historic Buildings and Landmarks of Karachi

History defines a place. The more historically rich a place is; the more values it inherits from its ancestors resulting in a diverse culture.

Karachi is one of the oldest cities of Pakistan. It was named as “Kolachi” previously. It has seen ups and downs of different civilizations and has formulated into a bit cosmopolitan as of today.

We have enlisted few historic buildings of Karachi which are architecturally rich and are breathtakingly beautiful.

Quaid-e-Azam Mausoleum:

The mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam was designed by famous architect named YAHYA MERCHANT.
It was inspired by the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Upon entrance through one of the four pointed arches entering into the mausoleum, there is a grand octagonal space with a ceremonial sarcophagus in its center.
The approach to this monumental mausoleum is a beautiful landscaped avenue comprised of gardens, terraces, and fifteen symbolic fountains leading up to a 75m x 75m plinth that forms the base of the mausoleum. This 4m pedestal anchors the tomb in the landscape, delineating the man-made structure from its natural surrounding and emphasizing the importance of the contents within.
The dome of the tomb is of reinforced cement concrete resting on 14 ft. High circular walls.
An elegant chandelier, a masterpiece gifted by the People’s Republic of China; hangs from the ceiling of the dome.

Frere Hall:

Frere Hall was built in the Venetian-Gothic style that also blends elements of British architecture with local architectural elements.
The building features multiple pointed arches, ribbed vaults, quatrefoils, and flying buttresses.
The walls and pillars have intricate mosaic designs and carvings alike. The roof of the hall is coated with Muntz metal.
The architect behind this masterpiece was Henry Saint Claire Wilkins and was completed on 10th October, 1865.
It was made to serve as Town Hall but nowadays, it serves as an exhibition space and library.

Empress Market:

Empress Market was constructed between 1884-1889.
Located in Saddar, the origin traces back to British era.
Architect was James Strachan.
Foundation stone was laid by James Fergusson (governor of Bombay) in 1884.
It is arranged around a courtyard, is 120ft tall and has a dimension of 130ft by 100ft with 4 galleries each 46 ft. wide.
This architectural masterpiece was christened “the Queen Victoria Empress market”, marking the golden jubilee of the British queen.
The commodities sold range from condiments, fruits, vegetables, meat, stationery material, textile, pets etc.

Denso Hall:

Denso Hall and library is located in Saddar Town, central Karachi.
It was the first library to be built for natives of Karachi in 1886.
Named after Max Denso who chaired Chamber of Commerce in 1870s.
The architect was James Strachan and the architectural design is Venetian gothic, with Tudor elements on top floor.
The Clock on top of the building was a gift by Rao Sahib Ramdas Morari; a local Parsiphilanthropist.
Denso Hall was considered as heritage site in 2019.

Masjid e Tooba:

It is situated in phase two of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi.
Masjid-e-Tooba is also known as Gol Masjid.
The Architect is Barber Hamid Chauhan.
It was completed in 1969.
The architectural style is mid-century modern.
It has one Dome and one Minaret.
It claims to be the largest single dome mosque in the world with no pillar in its central prayer Hall.
It is 18th largest mosque in the world.

St Patrick’s Cathedral:

Saint Patrick’s cathedral was the first Church of Sindh.
It was completed in 1881 and accommodates 1500 worshipers.
It’s affiliation is with the Roman Catholic.
It is located near Empress market in Saddar town.
The architect was Father Karl Wagner, SJ.
The architectural style is gothic revival.
It is more than 180 years old church in Karachi.
The interior is painted in oil and windows are all of stained glasses; produced by Franz Mayer of Munich, Germany.

Merewether Clock Tower:

Merewether Clock tower is a Neo-Gothic Clock tower built in the Victorian era in Karachi, Pakistan.
It is the main termini of two of the most important roads in central Karachi; that is Mohammed Ali Jinnah road and I.I. Chundrigar Road.
It was constructed between 1884-1892 and has a height of 335 feet.
The architect was James Strachan and it was named after Sir William Lockyer Merewether.
The architectural style is gothic revival and takes the form of an Eleanor Cross.
It was used to mark the boundary of the city when arriving from the port of Kemari.

Mohatta Palace Museum:

Mohatta Palace is a museum located in Karachi, Sindh built in 1927.
Architect was Agha Ahmed Hussain.
Architectural style is indo-Saracenic architecture.
A Hindu Marwari businessman named Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta got it made as his summer home.
Built with a combination of pink jodhpur stone and local yellow stone; it is a masterpiece.
Comprises of an area of 18,500 sq. ft.
Its façade is trimmed with windows, stone brackets, spandrels, domes and floral motifs which are evident on the exquisite railings as well.
The museum has 9 domes with a centre dome in the middle.
The interior of the palace is of solely teakwood with polished staircases and long corridors.
In 1995, Mohatta palace was purchased by the government of Sindh and was later transformed into a museum.

Khaliq Dina Hall and Library:

Khaliq Dina hall and library was built in 1906.
Building was named after renowned local merchant and philanthropist Ghulam Hussain Khaliqdina.
The architectural style is Palladian.
Architect is Moses Somake.
It has a 10 feet wide veranda and triangular pediment which gives it a resemblance to an ancient Greek temple.
Building exterior is 525×325 ft. and interior hall is 95×45 feet.
The roof was originally made of teak wood which collapsed in a heavy rainstorm in 1994.
It was restored in 2002 by Karachi metropolitan corporation and is now a cultural heritage sites of Sindh.

Karachi Port Trust Building:

Also known as KPT building, large colonial-era building.
Architect is George Wittet.
Constructed between 1912-1916.
Located in Kharadar, Karachi, near Native Jetty bridge.
Comprises of a large area of 1400 sq. meters.
Architectural style is an amalgamation of British, Hindu and gothic style.
Building exterior is notable for its curved façade. Façade is made of yellow-toned stone frim Indian city of Jaipur.
Roman styled architecture is evident in the interior of the building with a large dome designed inside.

Habib Bank Plaza:

Also known as HBL plaza is located at I.I. Chundrigar Road.
It is the head office of Habib bank
It was the tallest building of Asia until 1972.
Architect is Leo A. Daly.
Architectural style is contemporary architecture.
Hbl plaza was inaugurated to mark 25^th anniversary of the bank.
It was Pakistan’s tallest building from 1963 to 2003.

Wazir Mansion:

Wazir Mansion is officially known as Quaid-e-Azam’s birthplace museum.
It is located in Kharadar, Karachi.
Architect was H Sohak.
It was built in 1860-1870
Made with lime and jute mortar to suit the volatile weather of Karachi.
Wazir mansion was acquired by Government of Pakistan in 1953 to preserve it
It has been transformed into a three-storey library and museum galleries.

Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mausoleum:

Abdullah Shah Ghazi was a Muslim mystic and Sufi in the 8^th
The iconic shrine was built by Murshid Nadir Ali Shah.
His shrine is located in Clifton, Karachi.
His devotees buried him on a hill at the coastal area of Karachi.
Shrine is made up of a square chamber with a green and white striped dome.
It is embellished with Sindhi tilework, flags and buntings.
The shrine comprises of a mosque, stairs, langar khana, qawaalli hall and pilgrim lodges.
The shrine was taken over by Bahria town in 2011 for renovation purpose.

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

Karachi Chamber of Commerce was made to serve as the headquarters of the Karachi Indian Merchants’ Association.
Foundation stone was laid by Gandhi in July, 1934.
Architectural style is Anglo-Mughal.
Architect was Ahmad Hussain Agha.
Made of sandstone brought from Jaipur.
Building has domes and faux-minarets depicting heavy influence of Mughal architecture.

Sindh Madressatul Islam University:

Sindh Madressatul Islam University was founded in 1885, making it one of the oldest educational institutions in South Asia.
Architect was James Strachan.
It was publicly funded at Serai Quarters, Karachi on an eight-acre estate.
It was the alma mater of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah.
It remained as a high school till 1943
In February 2013, it was chartered as a university by the Government of Sindh
Quaid-e-Azam left one-third of his personal property to Sindh Madressatul Islam in his will
It offers courses till doctorate level now.

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