Karachi

About Karachi:
Images of Karachi
Art Galleries in Karach
Recreational Facilities
Beaches & Water Sports
Karachi Harbor
Shopping Centers

National Parks:
Kirthar National Park

Archaeological Sites:
Banbhore
Chaukandi
Thatta

Beaches:
Karachi's sunny unpolluted and uncrowded beaches stretch for miles. The more easily accessible of these are Hawks Bay, Sand Spit and Paradise Point. But for reasons of safety, care must be taken to swim only in the prescribed areas. Gaily Decorated camels are available on these beaches for hire. An interesting and rare sight to watch is the giant green and olive turtle. Pakistan Wild Life Management Board has taken over their Protection and is conducting a study of their habits.

Aladin Park:
A new amusement park built on the main Rashid Minhas Road is the latest attraction of Karachi. It has the colorful slides, one of the tallest in Asia. It is spread over an area of 50 acres. Opened in 1996. It has become a valuable tourist attraction of the city. It has the amusement park, a water park, shopping center and many eating outlets including the Kentucky Fried Chicken etc.
There is a full Olympic size swimming pool, a children pool and a wave pool. Fishermen's village is being constructed with a separate area of Bar-B-Cue. There are going to be 40 different kinds of rides, boating facilities and mini train.

DreamWorld Resort:
A new attraction is DreamWorld Resort, which will provide a wide range of tourist and recreation facilities. It is situated on the super highway about 15 minute drive from Civic Center. There is a golf course, two beautiful rippling water lakes, water slide rides and beautiful rippling water lakes. Water slide rides and a beautiful world class restaurant. Artificial lake will have the country's first sea Maker and an area of fantastic and incredible show the most spectacular water, light and music performance.

Jabees Playland, Funland and Bowling Allay:
The entertainment complex built at New Clifton close to the beach provides healthy and vigorous amusement for visitors.
Playland is an air-conditioned hall for the young, housing various games, gadgets and machines. There is a self-service restaurant, which provides snacks cold and hot drinks.
Funland is further down, closer to the beach, and has developed on the line of international amusement parks. It is equipped with a variety of sophisticated rides, such as Dodging cars, Minitrain, Boats, Star jet. TeleCombat, Apollo, Antique cars etc.
The Bowling Alley provides a six lane Brunswick Bowling Alley.

Safari Park:
A Safari Park is being developed on the university Road, over an area of 401 acres. Among other facilities, it has an open zoo. Which have different enclosures spread over an area of 182 acres. In outlook it is similar to world's many Safari Park's. The park has a viewpoint on a higher altitude at the hillock. The park is a popular place for the citizens of Karachi to visit in the evening, and on holidays.

Karachi's sunny unpolluted and uncrowded beaches stretch for miles. The more easily accessible of these are Hawks Bay, Sand Spit and Paradise Point. But for reasons of safety, care must be taken to swim only in the prescribed areas. Gaily Decorated camels are available on these beaches for hire. An interesting and rare sight to watch is the giant green and olive turtle. Pakistan Wild Life Management Board has taken over their Protection and is conducting a study of their habits.

Hawks Bay:
Along the coast from Sand Spit are the beaches of Hawks Bay. It is 16 miles away from the center of Karachi. Camel & Horse rides and other sea site amusements are common. It is crowded at weekends. For most of the year, swimming is good in the prescribed area's. In may and June watch out for the stinging jellyfish. In the monsoon during July and august the sea is extremely rough and dangerous. In September and October the water, waves are excellent for surfing. In winter the sea is cold but for those brought up near the Atlantic, it is still very pleasant.

French Beach:
It is located off the Hawks-Bay Paradise-Point road approximately midway between the two spots. It is exclusively for foreigners however, Pakistanis who have their huts can also enter here. Parts of the beach are rocky and the water clears making it good for snorkeling and skin-diving. Visitors must however bring their own snorkels, fins, flippers, mask lungs etc. those interested in scuba diving can hire boats for the day to take them to better spots to greater depth where bigger game can be speared.

Gaddani Beach:
A metal road leads northwest from Karachi to Gaddani beach it is 30 miles away over the Hub River it lies in Baluchistan. It is not possible for foreigners to go beyond the Hub River or to travel further along the Mekran coast in Baluchistan without express permission. Pakistanis can however go there freely.

Water Sports:
In these sheltered coves of the beaches you can skin or scuba dive, in safety and seclusion as indeed you can all along the Karachi beaches. Boating in and around this area on moonlight can be a very pleasant experience. You can hire a boat at Keamari. There are plenty of fish and lobsters and shell and coral in these waters.

Karachi is perhaps the best natural Harbor in the entire region approaching from the sea you see on your right 2 absolutely bare rocks the oyster rocks, standing like sentinels in the stone guarding the entrance of the channel. Time and seawater have eroded and carved fantastic figures and shapes.

Fish Harbor:
For those interested in seafood a visit to the fish harbor on the west can be particularly rewarding. 100's of gaily decorated boats and country craft bring in their daily haul for local consumption as well as for export. See foods like Prawns , Crabs and lobsters etc. are in fact one of Pakistan's major foreign exchange earners.

Sadder:
Sadder is the central shopping area in Karachi, it is spread around and between the two main streets. Abdullah Haroon road and Zaib-un-Nisa Street, and is about 1 km from south to north. It is fun to spend a few hours wandering through alleyways, where Victorian brick archietecture rub shoulders with modern concrete.. it is all very lively and noisy with a great variety of shops in a succession of different bazaar's each specializing in its own commodity. Going north upto Abdullah Haroon road, you first come to Zainab Market on the right. Inside we find dozen's of shop's, selling new copper's, Brass onyx, inlaid woodwork, lacquer work, hand block printed cloth's and applique bedspreads. Some shops sell excellent old emroided Sindhi cloth. Traditional wedding dresses with mirror embroidery work, leather garments and old tribal silver jewelry, Zainab market also sells very good, extremely cheap cotton shirts, and ready made shalwar kameez.

Abdullah Haroon Road:
A little further up Abdullah Haroon Road are the carpets shops. They sell both, new Pakistani rugs and old tribal rugs, from Balochistan Afghanistan and Iran.

Bhori bazaar:
Bhori bazaar is down the side lanes to the north of the carpet shops. It is the world with in itself. You walk down the narrow alleys ducking the cloth and clothing strung across for display. It is very photogenic.

Empress market:
North again is the empress market, opened in 1889. This is the vast Victorian structure in Moghul Gothic style, with a clock tower, 50 meters high, housing hundred of shops and stalls. With in and around it are the meat and fish markets, fruit, and vegetable stalls. Section's of different Bazaar's specializing in different handicraft's and good's.
The atmosphere is very lively and noisy and is one of the pleasure for women Shopper's. Innumerable little shop's sell copper and brass merchandise, handlaid lacquer work's, hand blocked printed cloth applique bed spread's embroidered sindhi cloth, Rillies, traditional wedding dresses with mirror works, silver jewelry worn in various parts of Pakistan, cheap cotton shirt's and reedy made Shalwar Kameez.

Tariq road/Bahadurabad:
Tariq road Bahadurabad and Clifton shopping areas are few of the most posh and expensive shopping areas of the city. Prices are here bit higher then a Bhori bazaar and other shopping areas.Pakistan is one of the biggest exporter's of hand woven carpet's which are available in Style and traditional touch.

M.A. Jinnah road:
The other main market's are M.A. Jinnah road, Ladies market in Karimabad, Nazimabad, Empress market in Sadder .

This park may be visited for recreation education or research but shooting is forbidden. Super Highway(for 4 WD vehicles only) takes the visitor deep into the heart of Kirthar National Park. Measuring over 3,000 square kilometers in the Kirthar hills and a good destination for 3-day trip. October to February is the most comfortable...that is, coolest...time to go but the flowers bloom during the (relatively) wet monsoon in August.
Kirthar National Park is the habitat of rare species that includes the Sind Ibex, Chin Kara, Gazelles, Leopards, Wildsheep, and other animals. The best season to visit it is from October to February. However, it is the greenest in August during the monsoons.
Five furnished rest houses with cooking facilities and running water are situated on the edge of a wide valley in the center of the park at Karchat. They are bookable through the Sind Wildlife Management Board, which also hires out tents to that wish to camp. Some food is available if ordered well in advance, but it is better to take your own food, drink and bedding.
The rolling valleys and contorted, rugged lines of the Kirthar hills form a natural haven for urial sheep, ibex and chinkara gazelle. Jungle cats, desert cats and even the occasional leopard or desert wolf also prowl the park, but you would be extreme lucky to see them. Pangolin (scaly anteaters), porcupines and monitor lizards are more in evidence.
Other attractions in the park are 18th century Chaukundi style tombs at Taung and pre-historic archaeological remains at Koh Tarash. The enormous Rani Kot Fort is also within the park, two hours by jeep from Karchat. Rani Kot is about four hours from Karachi via the Super Highway and Indus Highway.

Wildlife:
Mammals in the park include Asiatic leopard, Stripped Hyena, Desert Wolf, Indian Fox, Sind Wild Goat (Ibex), Urial (Gad), Honey Badger, Indian Pangolin, Caracal, Jungle cat, Jackal, Chinkara Gazelle, Black Buck (Reintroduced), Hedgehog, Porcupine, Mongoose, Cairo Spiny mouse and the Rock Mouse.
Birds in the park are Lammegier vulture (Winter Migrant), Bonnelli's eagle, Griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, Close-Barred sandgrouse, Houbara bustard, Grey partridge, See See partridge, Stone Curlew, Finche larks, Hoopoe, shrikes and Wheatears.
Reptiles in the park are The Rock python, Sind cobra, Russell's viper, Sawscaled viper, Sind krait, Royal rat snake, Tortoises,Monitor lizard, Sind Crocodile (possibly extinct) and different species of lizard and chameleon.

Banbhore is an archaeological site which some scholars identify with Debal, the port of city where the Arab General Mohammed Bin Quasi landed in 712 AD. This site is believed to be the port city of Daibul, which flourished, in 8th century AD. After the young General conquest the city, muslims built mosques other residential buildings and fifteen walls around the town.
This town was destroyed in 1250 A.D. and its discoveries throw light not only on Muslim era but also pre-muslim era. These discoveries Tells us about the civilization of early centuries of the Christian era. Some human skeletons have also been found in streets and houses. The Hindu temple of the pre-Muslim era has also been unearthed along with coins belonging to khilafat period. Other stone, glass and ivory objects, pottery, jewelry, arms and some human skeletons with arrows in their heads show that this town came to a violent end. This shows that the town came to a violent end. Bahmbore has given our museums a strong archeological heritage.
Banbhore is also associated with the famous romance of Sasi and Punnu described by a local folklore. Sassi belonged to Banbhore. The museum at the site houses a rich collection of painted pottery, coins and beads etc

When we travel on the national highway on 17 miles from Karachi, we can see the cluster of unusual graves in the shape of stepped rectangles. This is the graveyard date back to the 16th and 18th centuries. These graves are the unique example of stone carving. The stone of these graves are exquisitely craved in relief with intricate motifs.
Chaukandi means four cornered. This site is therefore known as chaukandi. The distinguishing feature of these graves is the superb carving and engraving on the slabs with various designs of jewelry; floral patterns even horses and their riders. The tomb slab's of women's graves are embellished with designs of jewelry, necklace, earrings and rings while those of men bear horse-and-rider motifs as well as floral, weapons and abstract designs.

Thatta is also called Thatto in local language. It is a town in Sind Province, ninety-eight kms (60 miles) East of Karachi, on the national Highway. Just west of the Indus River and the Arabian Sea coast. Once Called the El Dorando of the east. At one time Thatta was important as Sind's capital city and as a center for Islamic arts. From the 14th century four Muslim dynasties ruled Sind from Thatta, but in 1739 the capital was moved elsewhere and Thatta declined Thatta have the very rich heritage of Muslim architecture of era of 16th and 17th century. The history of Thatta goes back some two thousand-year. It is now a mere vestige of its former greatness as 16th-century capital of the Samma dynasty in Lower Sind. Incorporated as a municipality in 1854.
It was believed that this was the place where Alexander the Great rested his legions after their long march. The remains of Thatta include the tombs, mausoleums and mosques. Some of them are in a good state of preservation. Remains of Thatta civilization shows that how civilized were those peoples.
The surrounding region includes the barren and rocky Kohistan area and the swampy deltaic land of the Indus. Sugarcane is the chief crop; camel breeding is significant. Nearby excavations reveal occupations dating from the first century BC.

Makli:
The Makli hill near Thatta is the world largest grave yard spread over 15.5 sq. kms, having millions of graves. Here in eternal sleep lie kings, queens, Scholars, Philosophers and soldiers of a by-gone era-an era renowned for its culture and learning.
We can see the masterpieces of stone carvings over the gravestones and mausoleums. These grave stones and mausoleums stones are representing the different era's and dynasties. There are monuments of Summa period (14th to 16th centuries), the Tarkhan & Arghun period (16th century), and the Moghul period (16th to 18th centuries). You can examine the minute and delicate workmanship on the tombs of famous Mughal governor's. The quality of this structure is that these are strong as well beautiful. The main stone using in the construction of these monuments are marble and granites which are generation's lasting. You can see the rhythm of construction in these monuments.
The largest and most impressive tomb among the tomb's is tomb of Isa Khan Tarkhan who died in 1644. Isa khan had constructed this tomb in his lifetime. After the completion of some part of of that tomb Isa khan cut off the hand's of most talented craftsmen, so that no other emperor could engage them to copy the same monument again. Beside the most preserve, monuments are the tomb's of Mirza jani Beg, Mirza Tughral beg and Diwan Shurfa Khan.

Shah Jehan's Mosque:
3.22 km away from Thatta the Shah Jehan mosque is the masterpiece of mughal construction. This mosque was build by the constructor of Taj Mahal in 1647 AD This mosque was build towards the middle of 17th century. This was really the glorious example of Muslim architecture. This mosque was build by Mir Abdullah under the order of Mughal emperor Shah Jehan. Shah Jehan mosque is the beautiful example of tile work. Its 93 domes and 33 arches have varying sizes have their architectural beauty. The domes have been exquisitely laid in a mosaic of radiating blue and white tiles.

The basic objective of national museum is to collect, preserve, and study and exhibit the records of the cultural history of a country and to promote a learned insight into the personality of its people.
With this in view: the National Museum of Pakistan was opened at Karachi in 1951 in the historic building of Frere Hall, built in 1865, a monument to Sir Bartle Frere, Commissioner of Sind in the last century.

It comprises of six galleries and an auditorium located in naval estate on Habib Ebrahim Rehmatoola Road. The museum is based on modern concepts of presentation and interactive education. Different artifacts of maritime and naval heritage have been incorporated through attractive dioramas, relief sculpture, murals and miniature paintings, touch screen computers, taxidermy and ancient weapons. A computer based maritime information retrieval system has also been incorporated to facilitate the visitors and students for easy access.