Karachi: The City of Lights

Karachi is the largest and most populated metropolitan city of Pakistan, with a population of  23.5 million people, and the main seaport and financial centre of Pakistan as well as the capital of Sindh province. It is the 3rd largest city in the world in means of population in city limits, 11th largest urban agglomeration. It is Pakistan's centre of banking, trading and industrial work.

This is the map of Karachi which is showing its major areas as well.

The beach of Karachi. Captured by: Danish Ayub

Being at the bank of the Arabian sea, Karachi  is a city with various beaches. They are not only hangout points for the people of Karachi but also have a diverse variety of marine species. The Arabian sea does is not only a home to marine turtles but also contains blue whales.

A starfish at the beach of Karachi. Captured by: Hira Khatri

A research at the University of Karachi, done by the collective efforts World Wide Fund For Nature- Pakistan (WWF-Pak), and the University Marine Biological Station Millport (UMBSM) under the leadership of British Dr. Mauvis Gore, shows: the seas of Pakistan have a moderate number of Bottlenose dolphin, Humpback dolphin, Spinner dolphin, Risso's dolphin and the Killer Whale (categorized as a dolphin). A number of whales, including Bryde's whale, Cuvier's Beaked whale, the fin whale, the sperm whale and the Hump-backed whales were also recorded.

Mausoleum of Jinnah. source: google

Karachi is also known as the City of Quaid because of the presence of the Mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan i.e. Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Designed by Yahya Merchant, the mausoleum is constructed using white marble. The interior of the grave complex has three graves in a row and one to the north. The northern one belongs to Miss Fatima Jinnah ( Jinnah's Sister). Out of the three graves, one belongs to Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan (Pakistan's first prime minister), Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, and Nurul Amin. All of the graves are made up of Italian white marble. All of the graves a plain except for the grave of Miss Fatima Jinnah which has floral designs at it's base.

Ocean Tower: 28 floors. source: Google

Apart from this, the tallest building of Pakistan, the Ocean Towers is also situated in this city. Other tall buildings of the city include MCB Tower, Dolmen City Mall and various others. Karachi is also equipped with cinemas and malls since it has a big population and is an industrial and metropolitan city. Various underpasses, flyovers and parks have also contributed to the city's beauty.

Building of Dolmen City Mall, view from the beach

The Empress Market

Karachi also consists of ancient architecture that was build during the British Monarchy in Pakistan. The Empress Market, situated in Saddar (which was the downtown during British Raj) is probably the busiest and largest market in the city. It is also one of the few historical spots of Karachi. The market was made between the years 1884 and 1889 and was named after Queen Victoria, the Empress of India. The foundation stone of Empress Market was laid by the governor of Bombay, James Ferguson. It was designed by James Strachan, the foundations were completed by the English firm, A.J. Attifield, while the construction was done by the local firm 'Mahoomed Nwan and Dulloo Khejoo'.

Frere Hall. Captured by: Iqbal Khatri

 Another remnant building from the British colonial era is the Frere Hall. It was built in honor of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, who was known for spreading economic development during his office. This building and its gardens stretch from Abdullah Haroon Road till the Fatima Jinnah Road. It was used as a town hall during the British Raj. After the partition it was turned into a library and a book bazaar. However, after an attack at the U.S consulate, which was located opposite to the Frere Hall, the public was not allowed to go to the hall. In 2011, it was open to public again as the U.S consulate was relocated. There are two gardens around the Hall, which were originally known as the "King's Lawn" and the "Queen's Lawn", they were renamed to 'Bagh-e-Jinnah' after the independence of Pakistan.