Karachi - Largest Seaport in Pakistan (Sindh)

 

Karachi, the capital of Sindh, the most populous city of Pakistan and is also the largest city by area in Pakistan. It lies on the shore of the Arabian Sea and on the western edge of the Indus River. It is the main business and financial hub of Pakistan having the head offices of all major industries and major banks in Pakistan.

Karachi was founded with a fortified small village of Kolachi-jo-Goth in 1729 during the Kalhora dynasty. It became popular on the arrival of the East India Company in 19th century. The British rulers started many projects to transform the city into a major seaport and also connected it with railway network in the subcontinent. The name Karachee was used first time in a Dutch report in 1742 about a shipwreck near it. After independence in 1947, Karachi was declared as Capital of Pakistan until the Capital was shifted to Islamabad, that is created from the Rawalpindi district, in 1958.

Karachi is bounded by Lasbela, Jamshoro, and Thatta districts. The Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway M-9 runs across the Karachi and the Makran Coastal Highway N-10 connects it with deep seaport in Pakistan Gwadar. Karachi is the main railway station and first station on the Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar railway track. Railway is the main transportation system in the country to move cargo from other cities and finally send it to other countries via Karachi Ports.

Karachi is located on the coastline of the Sindh province on a natural harbour on the Arabian Sea. The Karachi coastline is a coastal plain with scattered rocky hills, and marshlands. These ranges include Khasa Hills and Mulri Hills which act as boundary between North Nazimabad and Orangi. These hills are barren and part of the larger Kirthar Range along the border between Sindh and Balochistan. Mangrove forests grow in the brackish waters around the Karachi Harbour. In the southeast of the Karachi, there is an expansive Indus River Delta.

Karachi is also major transportation hub through the Arabian Sea by port of Karachi and Port Bin Qasim. Nearly 95% of the foreign trade is handled by these ports. Karachi becomes the most important industrial and financial centre in the country. It has largest share in the economic development of the country that is nearly 25% of entire GDP.

Jinnah International Airport provides all of services related to flight and air cargo in the country as well as international.

The Mulri Hills are located along the northern side of Karachi. These hills indicates the human habitation in the area thousands of years ago. Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites are found in these hills. The site of Barbarikon was located on the mouth of the Indus River. It was an ancient seaport used for trade in the ancient dynasties. Krokola was also an ancient port used by ancient Greeks on the mouth of the Malir River. It was the place where Alexander the Great camped to set his fleet ready for Babylonia after conquering the Indus Valley. Muhammad Bin Qasim entered in Sindh and Indus Valley in 711 by using port of Debal, an ancient port near Karachi or Thatta.

Chaukhandi Tombs are situated at a distance of 29 km from Karachi city. These are tombs of the Jokhio tribe and build during the Mughal period in the 15th and 18th centureis. Tombs are beautifully elaborated with sandstone carvings in funerary architectural style used in lower Sindh. These are constructed in a pyramid shape by setting various levels of vertical slabs. The tombs are further embellished with different motifs and geometrical designs. These are considered as single grave or as groups of up to eight graves.

Hawke's Bay is a famous beach in Karachi at a distance of 20 km from Karachi city. Its name is due to Bladen Wilmer Hawke who was a owner of a house on the beach during 1930s. People love to visit the beach for swimming, horse riding, camel riding, and observing the sea life. It is a nesting ground of green sea turtle and olive ridley sea turtle during winter season and it is a recognized site by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Frere Hall is early British colonial era building located between Victoria road and Fatima Jinnah road in central Karachi. It was used to serve as Karachi Town hall. It was named in the honour of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere in 1884, he was British and worked for promoting economic development in Sindh. Now this building is used to serve exhibitions and as a library.

The Karachi Port Trust Buildins, also known as KPT building, a colonial-era building on Muhammad Ali Jinnah road and serves as headquarters for the Karachi Port. It was constructed with a mix design of the British and Indian architectures. It is a master piece of the British construction and people visit this area to get a view of this building.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Building is the most architecturally significant colonial-era building located in central Karachi. It was completed in 1930 for the Karachi Municipal affairs. The building also has a clock tower with a Moorish style dome that was added in 1935 to commemorate the visit of King George V to the region.

The Mohatta Palace was built in 1927 as the summer home of Shivratan Mohattan, a Hindu Manwari businessman of Rajasthan. It was constructed in the style of stone palaces of Rajasthan. It is an elaborate building with intricate details of carvings to make it magnificent building. It is also decorated with different motifs and geometrical designs. It has nine domes, each on its corner and remaining are in the center of the palace. After independence in 1947, it serves as the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1964, it became the private residency of Fatima Jinnah and then her sister Shireen Jinnah. After her death in 1980, it was sealed. In 1995, it was converted into a museum to present the arts of Pakistan and its control was taken by the Government of Sindh.

Mazar-e-Quaid, also known as Jinnah Mausoleum, is the rest place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It was completed in 1971 and became an iconic symbol of Karachi. The main complex building also has tombs of other important personalities such as Fatima Jinnah, Liaqat Ali Khan, etc. It is located on the Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road in the center of the Karachi city. There is also a large garden designed in a neo-Mughal style.

Manora Fort was built to protect the Karachi harbour by the Talpur Mirs in 1797. It was built at the top of cliffs 100 feet high. In 1839, fort was captured by the British troops and the British got the control of the Karachi. After independence in 1947, it becomes the main base of the Pakistan Navy.

The Port of Karachi is the largest deep-water seaport in South Asia. It is located on the Karachi Harbour between Kiamari, Kakapir, and Manora. It is one of the major seaport on the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route. More than sixty percent of the country cargo is managed by it.

Mithadar is the original Karachi city that was encircled by a wall. It was the one of the two gates of old Karachi, second one is Khara Darwaza to the west, known as Kharadar. They were built in 1729 and were destroyed by the British in 1860.

Clifton is a historical seaside locality that was developed by the British as a location for the British elite. It is the most expensive and affluent location in the Karachi city. Several high-rise building including Mohatta palace are located in Clifton. The Three Sword monument was erected in 1973 by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as a beautification programme in Clifton.

Abdullah Shah Ghazi was a Muslim mystic and Sufi of 8th century, whose shrine is located in the Clifton. His father name is Muhammad Al-Nafs Al-Zakiyya, who was a descendant of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) through his dauther Fatima. Some historian suggests that Ghazi arrived in the area from Iraq along with Muhammad Bin Qasim. In 8th century, he was killed in a forest by his enemies. His devotees buried him on the hill at the coastal area that is now known as Clifton. The shrine was built by Syed Nadir Ali Shah, also known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. It is a square building with a green and white striped dome and decorated with Sindhi tile-work.

The Indus River Delta forms a scattered flow of the Indus River before entering into the Arabian Sea. The most of part of the Indus Delta in Pakistan with a small part in the Kutch region in India. It has an area of 41,440 km square from which only 6,000 km square is active, The Indus River Delta has the largest arid mangrove forests as well as a variety of birds and fish especially the Indus dolphin.

Churna island is located in the Arabia Sea near Goth Manjar in Karachi. is a famous location for tourists for various activities such as free-diving, scuba diving, boating, cliff diving, jet skiing, etc. Area is also famous for different types of corals in waters. It also a homeland for marine life such as yellow-bellied sea snake, angel fish, green turtle, great barracuda, oyster, etc. Different type of whales are also spotted in the waters around the Churna Island.

Karachi has a longer summer season, which is hot and humid. Due to oceanic influence of the Arabian Sea, it becomes moderate in nights. The winter climate is dry and pleasant. Karachi also receives rainfall due the monsoon system as well as due to the cool breeze coming from the Arabian Sea. Sometimes, there are heavy storms from the Arabian Sea side.