Visiting Karachi’s M. A. Jinnah Road

Karachi Metropolitan Building Corporation Building (now City District Government of Karachi)

I am pretty sure that readers of this blog who belong to Karachi would term this post redundant, as for most of the Karachites, there would be nothing to see at M. A. Jinnah Road except for the urban chaos, noise pollution, and coughing buses. Although almost all of us have passed through this major traffic artery umpteen times but with a different focus, i.e. cross it as soon as possible to avoid getting stuck up in the traffic jam.

On the other hand, Bandar Road – the busiest and the oldest roads of Karachi – hosts several historical structures most of which are remnants of the colonial British era.

On one not-so-fine morning, after dropping Urooba at Civil Hospital for some pedagogic assignment and parking, or actually fitting, my small car in the available space, I decided to stroll through the hectic road rather than waiting outside like a dumbo.

It proved to be a good trade-off; I walked till Memon Masjid passing through the crowded streets and stopping here are and there to have an awkward gaze on the surrounding structures. In fact, the guard of an old building – occupied by Bohris – initially hushed my away but then turned friendly when I told him about my interest in the building structure, rather than anything else! Just to mention, he belonged to the Kutchi Memon Community which is one of the visible groups of the Old City.

While I was taking photographs from my mobile camera some pedestrians thought that I am too crazy! Comments from one of the experienced traders who was sweeping around his shop as a morning ritual suggested that they thought I am a visitor new to the city!

Frankly, inspiration of this wandering came from the near-disappointing day around Penang’s Georgetown during our Oriental Outings last year.

Here go some of the shots I took randomly while walking around:

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Building:

Street View of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Building from the Busy M A Jinnah Road

Another View of the KMC Building

Jehangir Kothari Building:

Jehangir Kothari Building

Jehangir Kothari Building: A Closer Look

Exterior of Jehangir Kothari Building

Other Side of the Jehangir Kothari Building

Memon Masjid:

Defying All the Odds: the Tall Standing Minaret of Memon Mosque

Domes of Memon Masjid are Barely Visible

Some More Shots:

Denso Hall

Relic: Mercantile Cooperative Bank

Habib Bank Plaza Peeking from one of the M A Jinnah Road Gullies

A Colorful Bus Crossing a Historical Building

Without Comments!

For photographs, I used the built-in camera of my cell phone which has got pretty ordinary specifications, however, it was the inevitable matrix of electrical wiring coupled with the one-off untrimmed trees which made it more challenging.

For those who are interested in such sightseeing it would be wiser to go there on Sundays or before 9 in the morning on a weekday to avoid inhaling the toxic petroleum smoke. Friday prayers, around Noon, at Memon Masjid would also be a good sight to understand city’s culture.

The stroll can be clubbed with Wazir Mansion which I plan to visit in the coming days. It would not be surprising for a typical Karachite that this would be my first visit to Quaid’s birthplace!

Other Trips Around Karachi
Ranikot: the World's Largest Fort! 
Chowkundi Tomb and Haleji Lake 
Makli, Shahjahan Mosque, and Banbore 
Gidani Ship Breaking Yard
The Great Canyon: Makran Coastal Highway