Ajazur Rehman

An old Eid Card (1940).jpg

10 Sep 08 00:51:10 GMT

An old Eid Card (1940).jpg

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A typical card for Congratulation the Muslim festival of EID. Eid comes at the end of the annual Muslim month of Ramadan. This card was designed & made by a local (Karachi) Artist in 1940.

Eduljee Dinshaw Charity Dispensary (Clinic) Karachi (1908)_.jpg

10 Sep 08 00:36:18 GMT

Eduljee Dinshaw Charity Dispensary (Clinic) Karachi (1908)_.jpg

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The Parsis dominated the business community of Karachi for a long time. Once, the Parsis based in this city owned property, shipping businesses, hotels and beverage businesses. Many of them had links or were related to the Bombay Parsi families which played a similarly important role in the birth of India's largest urban business center.

The late Eduljee Dinshaw was a trader who owned a huge portion of land in Karachi. The Eduljee Dinshaw Dispensary was opened to public in 1882, still stands, and was one of many charitable donations the family made to the civic well being of people in Karachi. Indeed, despite its small size relative to Karachi's population today, the Parsi community still plays a major role in the city's commercial life.

Elphinstone Street karachi (Sadar)_.jpg

10 Sep 08 00:27:19 GMT

Elphinstone Street karachi (Sadar)_.jpg

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Although published around 1905, this view by Fred Bremner is probably from 1889 or the early 1890s. Within a few decades the same street was far more crowded, and today is often unnavigable unless one has a lot of time during working and evening hours.

Lady Dufferin Hospital Karachi was built in the 1870_.jpg

10 Sep 08 00:20:24 GMT

Lady Dufferin Hospital Karachi was built in the 1870_.jpg

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Located on Chand Bibi Road,Karachi the hospital is dedicated to Lady Dufferin, wife of the colonial Governor General Lord Dufferin. It was begun in 1894, largely due to the efforts of Parsi millionaire and philanthropist Eduljee Dinshaw. The hospital lies in the vicinity of the Dow Medical College and Civil Hospital. Like other of Dinshaw's projects, the hospital is known for treating the poor and the needy.

Elphinstone Street Karchi (Tody_s called Zaibunnisa Street)_.jpg

10 Sep 08 00:12:20 GMT

Elphinstone Street Karchi (Tody_s called Zaibunnisa Street)_.jpg

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Elphinstone Street was named after Monstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859), a Scot who played an important role in western India during the first part of the 19th century. He was the first British ambassador to Afghanistan, and helped defeat the Peshwas in Maharashtra, both before 1820. He served as Governor of Bombay Presidency - of which Karachi was a part until the 1930s. Elphinstone College in Mumbai was also named after him.

The former Elphinstone Street - renamed for a prominent Pakistani journalist - still boasts some of the finer and oldest Karachi-sandstone buildings, though these are increasingly disappearing in favor of modern shopping plazas.

Empress Market Karachi - Sadar (Photo taken 1905)_.jpg

10 Sep 08 00:03:12 GMT

Empress Market Karachi - Sadar (Photo taken 1905)_.jpg

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This indoor market was built in the 1880s. Empress Market crowns the central shopping district in Karachi. Built in honor of Queen Victoria, it opened in 1889. The huge clock on four sides of the tower still works. One can buy almost anything within the covered stalls or in the lanes surrounding the market. Empress Market crowns the central shopping district in Karachi. Built in honor of Queen Victoria, it opened in 1889. The huge clock on four sides of the tower still works. One can buy almost anything within the covered stalls or in the lanes surrounding the market.

Bunder Road Karachi (Now known as M. A. Jennah Road)_jpg

09 Sep 08 23:35:46 GMT

Bunder Road Karachi (Now known as M. A. Jennah Road)_jpg

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It was formerly called Bunder (or Bandar) Road as "bunder" refers to "port". Like many such roads, it remains a primary commercial thoroughfare for Karachi and is lined with numerous historic buildings including the Customs House, the former Merewether Tower and various banks, trading houses and major retail outlets. It was also one of the first streets in Karachi to be graced with a tramway.

Frere Hall is one of Karachi_s most Memorable Landmark_.jpg

09 Sep 08 23:17:50 GMT

Frere Hall is one of Karachi_s most Memorable Landmark_.jpg

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Frere Hall was built in the memory of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, an early Commissioner of Sindh province and a far-sighted administrator who did much to improve the economic life of his subjects. The Hall was completed in the 1860s. It uses local Karachi sandstone and remains a curious blend of architectural styles, somewhere between Venetian Gothic and the Indo-Sarcenic style that later flourished in Bombay (now Mumbai). During the British Raj Frere Hall served as Karachi's Town Hall. The gardens around it were popular meeting spots until recent security concerns have made them off-limits to people most of the time.

sindh-arts-college karachi (1887) now known as D J Sindh Govt. science College_.jpg

09 Sep 08 22:58:03 GMT

sindh-arts-college karachi (1887) now known as D J Sindh Govt. science College_.jpg

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SINDH ARTS COLLEGE KARACHI. One of the premiere educational institutions of the city of Karachi. Established in the city of Karachi in 1887, the college currently operates under the name D J Sindh Government Science College, named after its founder, prominent Sindhi philanthropist, Mr. Diwan Dayaram Jethmal. Law and Engineering were also offered at one time before they were dropped and separate colleges for these disciplines were built.

parsi-gymkhana (1893) was originally called the Karachi Parsi Gymkhana_.jpg

09 Sep 08 22:55:26 GMT

parsi-gymkhana (1893) was originally called the Karachi Parsi Gymkhana_.jpg

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The Parsi Gymkhana was established in 1893 by two Parsi gentlemen eager to encourage sports in their community. Cricket, billiards and other popular games were encouraged in a center was originally built for men. In 1899, women were given the permission to enter the Karachi Parsi Institute and dine there. Parties and dinners were arranged to celebrate special occasions in the lives of the members' children and for wedding and initiation ceremonies.

Today the Parsi Institute overlooks an important Karachi cricket ground, and is one of the places where the city's small but prominent Parsi community gather.

Bunder Road , Karachi (1880) now known as M.A. Jinnah Road_.jpg

09 Sep 08 22:52:46 GMT

Bunder Road , Karachi (1880) now known as M.A. Jinnah Road_.jpg

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Elphinstone Street (Sadar) Karachi in 1930_Johnny Store_s Post Card.jpg

09 Sep 08 22:48:21 GMT

Elphinstone Street (Sadar) Karachi in 1930_Johnny Store_s Post Card.jpg

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Johnny Stores refers to a stall on Elphinstone Street (now Zeb-un-Nissa street) run by a man named Jankidas in the 1930s and 1940s. Commonly known as Janki, British soldiers changed this to "Johnny." Johnny Stores used to sell toffees, sweets, chewing gum, pencils, pens, battery cells, and other odds and ends. It also sold nicely printed black-and-white postcards of Karachi that may have been photographed by someone else. [Many thanks to Ardeshir Cowasjee for background infomation.]

Palace Hotel Karachi (in 1950s)_.jpg

05 Sep 08 08:34:18 GMT

Palace Hotel Karachi (in 1950s)_.jpg

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The major hotels of Karachi have apparently always been within a few blocks of each other in the center of the city. Today the Sheraton is across of the Pearl Continental and both are just around the corner from what was the Metropole, another major hotel that serviced many foreign visitors to the city in the first decades after Independence.

The Palace Hotel was torn down in the 1970s, and was apparently built after World War I. The neon sign for Palace is on the dome, and the Pakistan flag seems to be flying above the building, suggesting the image dates to the 1950s.

The Sind Club Karachi - Established in May 1871_.jpg

05 Sep 08 08:29:00 GMT

The Sind Club Karachi - Established in May 1871_.jpg

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Established in May 1871, Sind Club is the premiere private club in Karachi. The Sind Club was founded to serve the Europeans of the city; today it is still the gathering place for Karachi's business and social elite. Inside the halls of an Indo-Italianate temple of the Raj, a modern and diverse Karachite business community run the commercial affairs of one of the larger countries on earth.

A stone's throw from Frere Hall, the Sind Club still enforces a strict dress code, no cell phones in the main dining hall, and members are greeted with the relaxed ambience so characteristic of clubs throughout the subcontinent. Membership is very expensive, and only well-vetted applicants are admitted. Inside the main waiting room portraits of previous Club Presidents look down on members and visitors. The pool is a haven from the stresses of Karachi life, and the library often hosts important cultural events. The dining hall remains excellent. The guest rooms are at times occupied by retirees who prefer an old Raj-type set of rooms to keeping their own house or flat in the city.

Sind Club Karachi.jpg

05 Sep 08 08:26:29 GMT

Sind Club Karachi.jpg

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The Sind Club in the center of Karachi was built by the British in the 1860s, and the local inhabitants (of what is now Pakistan) were not allowed to become members until after the Independence of Pakistan in 1947. A swimming pool, Southern Italian-style sandstone buildings and a fine restaurant are all located on the vast grounds. Women may still not become members in their own right.