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CLIFTON AREA HERITAGE
In the early days of Karachi, Clifton used to be a far off destination where the wealthy families of early days used to travel to for picnics and time out from city life. Gradually it grew into a trendy residential suburb of the city and was considered one of the best localities of the city to live in. It has now become completely absorbed into the city. Clifton contains many invaluable heritage buildings ranging from exquisite residences like the Mohatta Palace, to great public architecture such as the Kothari Parade, to engineering works like the Clifton Bridge.
MOHATTA PALACE (late 1920's)
The Mohatta Palace was built by the eccentric millionaire Shiv Rattan Mohatta as his palatial residence in the late 1920's. However, he could enjoy this building for only about two decades before political upheaval and the partition of the subcontinent forced him to leave Karachi. After the formation of Pakistan, this building came to be known as Qasr-e-Fatima because it was occupied by the sister of Pakistan's founder, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, who lived in this house from 1964 till she passed away in 1967. Afterwards, the first floor of the building was sealed off since it contained the belongings and artifacts of Quaid-e-Aazam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, brought here from the Flagstaff House by his sister. The ground floor was retained for use by Fatima Jinnah's sister, Shirin Bai, however in 1970, the upper floor was also unsealed for her use by a court order. After Shirin Bai's death in 1980 the whole building was sealed off again. In this time however, some of the relics belonging to Quaid-e-Aazam were removed illegally or got damaged. In 1990, the relics were moved away to the Quaid-e-Aazam House Museum whereas the Mohatta Palace building fell into decay and disrepair. After about a decade of neglect, the building has again been renovated and has been converted into a museum known as the Mohatta Palace Museum.
The Mohatta Palace was designed by architect Ahmed Hussain Agha in the Mughal Revival style, and covers an area of 18,500 sq feet located inside a sprawling estate of 12,000 sq. yards. The building contains large stately rooms for the entertainment of guests on the ground floor, and bedrooms and a reception room on the first floor. A large terrace on the first floor overlooks the Arabian Sea. Architectural elements are similar to the ones designed by Agha for the Hindu Gymkhana, but have been treated in a more elaborate manner in this building. The windows are framed by carved moldings in the form of jharokas, the four octagonal corner towers terminate in projecting balconies crowned by chhattrees, and the building is crowned by a baradari on the rooftop which itself is capped by several magnificent onion-domed cupolas. Carved decorative motifs inspired from the Samma period tombs of Makli have also been used on the building. Buff Gizri sandstone is employed for the construction of the building, however carved decorative features such as the brackets, spandrels, chhajjaas, balustrades, and pilasters use Jodhpur sandstone which imparts the whole building a pinkish hue. The cupolas, however built of concrete, have been colored to match the Jodhpur stone detailing.
Currently, the Mohatta Palace houses a museum which houses exhibitions showcasing the early history of Sindh, the freedom struggle, and the city of Karachi.
THE CLIFTON BRIDGE
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THE KILLARNEY HOTEL
This old railway hotel was known as the Killarney Hotel and was run by Sidney Marder. In 1933-34, the Marder's establishment acquired the old Palace Hotel building and shifted the hotel to the new premises. After the creation of Pakistan, this building has been occupied by the Russian Embassy and is currently being renovated and used by the Bay View High School. The following pictures of the in-progress renovation work have been provided by Mr. Behram Ahmed:
OLD MANSIONS
Clifton was an emerging upscale locality in the days of the British era. It still preserves some of the large old mansions from that time that can serve to remind people of the history of this neighbourhood.
Mansions near Mohatta Palace
Mansions near the Clifton Bridge
Old Shops near Jehangir Kothari Parade
An old building near Clifton Bridge
Any information regarding this building is not available to this website. If you have any information regarding this building or better pictures, please contribute it to the website.
