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Karachi

KNOWLEDGE OF Karachi

Karachi (كراچى) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. A native of Karachi is referred to as a Karachiite.

Karachi is the financial and commercial hub of Pakistan and an important port in the region. The city is located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, northwest of the mouth of the Indus River. It accounts for the lion's share of Pakistan's GDP and generates 65 percent of the national revenue. It is the nucleus of regional business and technological activities and has the highest literacy rate in the country. It is also the home of distinguished academic and research institutions. With a population that is unofficially estimated at approximately 14 million, Karachi is the most populous city of the country and one of the largest cities in the world.

Any history of Karachi prior to the 19th century is brief. It is said that the city called Krokola from which one of Alexander the Great's admirals sailed at the end of his conquests was the same as Karachi. When Muhammad bin Qasim came to India in the year 712 he captured the city of Debul. It has been said that Debal was the ancestral village of present day Karachi. However, this has neither been proven or disproven.

It was in 1772 that the village Kolachi-jo-Goth was changed from a fishing village to a trading post when it was selected as a port for trade with Muscat and Bahrain. In the following years a fort was built and cannons brought in from Muscat were mounted on it. The fort had two doorways, one facing the sea called the Khara Dar or Brackish Gate and one facing the River Lyari called the Meetha Dar or Sweet Gate. Currently, the site of those gates corresponds to the location of the neighbourhoods of Kharadar and Meethadar. In 1795 the city passed from the Khan of Kalat to the rulers of Sindh.

Karachi gained in position as port which led to its importance being recognised by the British, and consequently led to the conquering of the town on the 3rd of February 1839. Three years later, it was annexed into British India as a district. The British recognized the importance of Karachi as a natural harbor and port for the produce of the Indus basin, and the city was rapidly developed into a bustling port city. A famous quote about Karachi attributed to Charles Napier is Would that I could come again to see you in your grandeur!. Napier's quote proved almost prophetic as it was under the British raj that Karachi would grow rapidly as its harbour was developed. When the First Indian War for Independence broke out in 1857, the 21st Native Infantry stationed in Karachi declared allegiance to the rebellion and joined the cause of the War on the 10th of September 1857. The uprising though, was defeated by the British who were able to quickly reassert their control over Karachi.

In 1876, the founder of Pakistan Muhammed Ali Jinnah was born in the city, and he would later be buried there. By this time Karachi was a developed city with railroads, churches, masjids, paved streets, courts and many commercial centres as well as a magnificent harbour built by the British. Many of the buildings were built in classical British colonial style, contrasting significantly with the "Mughal Gothic" of Lahore. Many of these old buildings exist today and provide interesting destinations for visitors.
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