• Karachi -Pakistan

 

 

HISTORY OF KARACHI


The area of Karachi has been known to the ancient Greeks by many names: Krokola, the place where Alexander the Great camped to prepare a fleet for Babylonia after his campaign in the Indus valley; 'Morontobara' port (probably the modern Manora Island near the Karachi harbor), from where Alexander's admiral Nearchus sailed for back home; and Barbarikon, a sea port of the Indo-Greek Bactrian kingdom. It was also known as the port of Debal to the Arabs, from where Muhammad bin Qasim led his conquering force into South Asia in 712 AD. According to the British historian Eliot, parts of city of Karachi and the island of Manora constituted the city of Debal.

The present city started its life as a fishing settlement where a Sindhi fisherwoman by the name of Mai Kolachi took up residence and started a family. The village that later grew out of this settlement was known as Kolachi-jo-Goth (The Village of Kolachi in Sindhi). By the late 1700s this village started trading across the sea with Muscat and the Persian Gulf region which led to its gaining importance. A small fort was constructed for its protection, armed with cannons imported from Muscat. The fort had two main gateways: one facing the sea, known as Khara Darwaaza (Brackish Gate) and the other facing the adjoining Lyari river known as the Meetha Darwaaza (Sweet Gate). The location of these gates corresponds to the present-day city localities of Khaaradar and Meethadar respectively.

 


An old image of MA Jinnah Road Karachi from 1889

In 1795, the village became a domain of the Balochi Talpur rulers of Sindh. A small factory was opened by the British in September 1799, but was closed down within a year. After sending a couple of exploratory missions to the area, the British East India Company conquered the town on February 3, 1839. The village was later annexed to the British Indian Empire when the province of Sindh was conquered by Charles Napier in 1843. Kolachi was added along with the rest of Sindh to the jurisdiction of the Bombay Presidency.

 

The British realized its importance as a military cantonment and a port for exporting the produce of the Indus basin, and rapidly developed its harbour for shipping. The foundations of a city municipal government were laid down and infrastructure development was undertaken. New businesses started opening up and the population of the town started rising rapidly. Karachi quickly turned into a city, making true the famous quote by Napier who is known to have said: Would that I could come again to see you in your grandeur!

 

In 1857, the First Indian War for Independence broke out in the subcontinent and the 21st Native Infantry stationed in Karachi declared allegiance to revolters, joining their cause on September 10, 1857. However, the British were rapidly able to reassert their control over Karachi and defeat the uprising. Karachi was known as Khurachee Scinde (i.e. Karachi, Sindh) during the early British colonial rule.

 

In 1864, the first telegraphic message was sent from India to England when a direct telegraph connection was laid down between Karachi and London. In 1878, the city was connected to the rest of British India by railway line. Public building projects such as the Frere Hall (1865) and the Empress Market (1890) were undertaken. In 1876, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was born in the city, which by now had become a bustling city with railway, churches, mosques, courthouses, markets, paved streets and a magnificent harbour. By 1899 Karachi had become the largest wheat exporting port in the east (Feldman 1970:57). The population of the city had also risen to about 105,000 inhabitants by the end of the 19th century and was a cosmopolitan mix of Hindus and Muslims, European traders, Jews, Parsis, Iranians, Lebanese, and Goan merchants. By the turn of the century, the city faced street congestion, which led to India’s first tramway system being laid down in 1900.

 


Frere Hall - a prime example of colonial architecture built during the British Raj

By 1914, Karachi had become the largest grain exporting port of the British Empire. In 1924, an aerodrome was built and Karachi became the main airport of entry into India. An airship mast was also built in Karachi in 1927 as part of the Imperial Airship Communications scheme, which was later abandoned. In 1936, Sindh was separated from the Bombay Presidency and Karachi was made the capital of the new province. By the time the new country of Pakistan was formed in 1947, Karachi had become a bustling metropolitan city with beautiful classical and colonial European styled buildings lining the city’s thoroughfares. Karachi was chosen as the capital city of Pakistan and accommodated a huge influx of migrants and refugees to the newly formed country. The demographics of the city also changed drastically. However, it still maintained a great cultural diversity as its new inhabitants arrived from all parts of the subcontinent.

 

 The Southend Club

 

Residential Facility

There are eleven (11) fully furnished, air-conditioned and well-equipped suites and sixteen (16) rooms with a common lounge.

A fully equipped conference room, lobby and business room make the facilities comparable with those present at any five-star hotel.

 

Sport Facility

 


The Club offers three (3) air-conditioned squash courts for singles, which can be converted into two doubles courts through moveable walls. Introduced for the first time in Pakistan, the doubles squash will make the game popular among teens and even the middle-aged.
Other important features of these courts are the sensitive tin that registers a low ball by sound and display, electronic scoreboards that can be operated by the players from within the court and a Half Wall System, which makes the ball rebound perfectly.

 

 

 

 


There is an Olympic standard covered swimming pool in a spacious 15,000 sq. ft. hall. It is a seven lane, 5,000 sq. ft. pool with extensions reserved for divers, where diving boards of 1 meter & 3 meters have been installed. Electronic touch boards, underwater lights, perfect heating arrangements, latest filtration plant with automatic vacuum cleaners and surge tanks are the allied modern facilities at the pool. Aqua fitness gadgetry, under our qualified staff, is also available.

 

The pool has an easy entrance and exit points, easy to use by the handicapped as well. A wading pool for toddlers is also part of the facilities. The spacious hall can also be used for refreshments and poolside parties.                           

 


The three Tennis Courts located on the roof are another unique feature of the Club. In shadow- less, well-lit environment, playing tennis is real fun under the cool and gentle sea breeze. A bar can be used to serve refreshments after an exhausting tennis session.

 


A spacious (61x115 ft.) multipurpose hall is also part of the modern facilities offered by the Club. The hall is available 24 hours for indoor games like badminton, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis and even football. A spectator's gallery can accommodate approximately 80 people and it can also be used by the players for taking refreshments or rest between or after the games.  

 

 

 

 


In this spacious 10,600 sq. ft. hall, 10 lanes have been installed along with AMF Bowling equipment. Well-known in the bowling world, AMF are the inventors of automatic pin spotters, which deliver a consistent and short cycle time for a faster game.


The bowling lanes have been made with the highest quality maple wood, which is cleaned and maintained regularly with automatic lane equipment.
Overhead monitors at the front, along with computerized management system, provide instant animated scoring before the comfortable seated players. The ball grip can also be modified as per your hand size. An elegant bar caters to the refreshment needs of the members.                                                         

 

 


Southend Club are proud to introduce, for the first time ever in Pakistan, their ice skating rink. In a 5,000 sq. ft. spacious hall, on a thick ice slate; members can enjoy figure dancing, pleasure skating and other ice games. In a city where the sun scorches down for most part of the year, can there be more fun than enjoying fun-filled ice-skating in a shivering cold hall? The Spectator's gallery allows the bystanders the chance to enjoy skater's performance.

 

 

 


Indoor golf facilities are available for our valued members in a spacious air-conditioned hall. It comprises of a miniature golf course designed by a foreign company. If the golf simulator is occupied, you may practice different shots and even play the game.

A golf simulator is a unique virtual reality machine where you can play simulated golf in a wall-size image of any of the world’s famous golf course of choice. When the player hits a real ball with the club of his choice, the computerized tracking system senses the ball’s exact path, speed and spin, and generates a synthetic ball on the screen, which follows the same trajectory as a real ball would have followed in the air. When the ball comes to rest, the screen is redrawn.

Another related feature is the swing analyzer, which can assist you in improving your swing.

This indoor golf facility is a blessing for the middle-aged golf enthusiasts who can not spare day hours to enjoy the sports and also for those who have the time but are not able to brave the scorching sun.


No club today can claim to be complete without a jogging track. Southend Club has also fulfilled this essential requirement of modern day life with a 500m track for members only.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Tariq Rasheed Khan
Director,

Mind Sport Association of Pakistan

+92-300-8231459

 

 

+92-21-5888369

 

 

Email WBF

msap@msap.com.pk

 

 

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