"One day she will be the Queen of the East", said Charles Napier a hundred year ago about Karachi. It was then only a small village. Today Karachi bursts upon the visitor as a vast commercial and industrial centre, a sea of people teeming with human activity, its population having already exceeded nine million mark and still growing.
This metropolitan city of Karachi was until 1725 A.D. just a barren piece of land , washed on three sides by the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. A few fishermen lived in a small huts on the sunny creek. There was a pool of water on this barren piece of land which was known as Kalachi-jo-Kun. Kalachi was the name of fisherman whereas kun meant a deep kitch. Therefore, "Kalachi-jo-Kun" meant the deep ditch of Kalacahi, the fisherman.
A few mud huts sprang around this point and their numbers increased. Gradually a village came into being . This village was called as Kalachi-jo-Ghote, which as time passed grew into prominance.
The development and the expansion of the city also changed the life style of its inhibitants. They adopted the modern way of life. In the old days the houses were built of mud and wood and debris walls were very common. For light and ventilation wind catchers were erected at the roof but with the increase in trade and commerce activities, and the new riches, the people adopted a luxurious life style.
Dedication
Old Karachi.com is dedicated to the preservation Karachi's heritage.
Website Layout:
Postcards Collection: This section has a collection of postcards with pictures of different places in Karachi from over a hundred years ago.
Buildings in Old Karachi:
This section has a collection of pictures of the buildings from a hundred years ago.
Accounts of Old Karachi:
This section has articles, updated every month, about the sights and sounds of Old Karachi.
Website Updates:
The website is updated every month with new additions to its collections and a new account of Old Karachi.
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