Karachi 1911

The port of Karachi needs no introduction. The former capital of Pakistan and the country's largest harbour, Karachi's modern history is not older than the 19th century. But the locality and vicinity of Karachi have existed since the ancient era. During the timeline of Ramayana, the territory around modern Karachi was known as the Sindhusagar Sangama, denoting the Mouths of the Indus or Sindhu. While at the timeline of Mahabharata, this region combined the state of Patala and the territory of Barbara, which literally means 'foreign'. Between the 5th to 4th centuries BC, according to Panini's Ashtadhyayi, the region along the mouths of the Indus was known as Sindhu Vaktra and neighbouring republics (Janpad) of Arbhata, Brahmanaka, Varteya and Paraskara. In fact, the earliest settlement in Sindh was known as Brahmanaka, around today's Hyderabad and Mansura cities. Karachi's Manora peninsula is mentioned during Alexander's voyage in Patalene or Regio Patalis. It is from this territory that Alexander steps back on his journey to Babylon in 325 BC. The port was also known as Barbaricum or Barbarikon between 1 to 300 AD. 

As proceeding towards the medieval era, a fragment of River Indus or Sindhu, known as Sagapa, is marked at the mouth of Barbaricum and is known to the early Greeks in the 4th century AD. Another possible reason for the name to be Barbaricum is that the Hindu mythological figure Barbareek, son of Ghatotkacha, is associated with the region of Sindh as the story goes that while the Pandavas were visiting Sindh on a pilgrim, there was a conflict between Bhima and Barbarik (son of Ghatotkacha) that escalated to a battle. But this is one of the various speculations behind the origin of Barbaricum. 

Another port that emerged between the 6th and 8th centuries AD, on the edge of Rann of Kutch, as Debal or Diul, that's close to today's Karachi port. One of the vassal states of the bigger Sindhu, known as Adinavachila, consisted of the modern port of Karachi. Debal was also the harbour where the earliest Islamic expedition was repulsed in 643 AD. Debal was mentioned on almost all European maps till the 18th century. 

Before the conceptualisation of Karachi, a medieval port named Lari Bandar emerged during the era of the Tughlaqs (1290 to 1390). It connected two major towns, Thatta and Mohammad Tur, in today's Thatta district of Sindh. On a 1705 French map, the port of Lari Bandar is written as Lourebander and Debal as Dobil or Dioul. This was the neighbourhood of Karachi before the actual formation of the port. 

In 1843, a new port Kurrachee was to be seen on European maps, although the village of Kolachi or Kalanchi is to be known as the former name of the harbour. The spelling Kurrachee existed all throughout the 1900s when an alternate spelling, 'Karachi', appeared that remains to date. The British development of Karachi made it an important harbour on the western coast of British India, connecting it with Surat and Bombay and making it a crucial trade hub in the Arabian Sea circuit. The street names were in English, as in almost every city developed by the British. Barnes Street, Burnes Road, Clifton Road, Connaught Road, Elphinstone Road, Frere Road, Grant Road, Harris Road, Havelock Road, Kingsway Road, Mansfield Road, McLeod Road etc. 

Like any other city in today's Pakistan, even Karachi had numerous Hindu street names that are now Islamic. Harchandrai Road (Hussain Bhai Bandukwala), Hiradharam Road (Mohammad Ali Bogra Road), Ramchandra Temple Road (Babar Road), Srichand Vishindas Road (Haji Kassim Sommra Road), Udhavdas V. Street (Soomra Gali), Vishwanath Patel Road (Aslam Road). 

The medieval capital of Sindh was Aror, now a ruin in Rohri, Sukkur district. It shifted to Thatta for several centuries before moving to Neroon Kot (Hyderabad) in 1768 when the Kalhora seat changed from erstwhile Khudabad. As the dynasty changed to the Talpur Mirs, they came into conflict with the British and various battles were fought at Miani (1849), Hyderabad (1843), Umarkot (1843), Mirpur Khas (1843) and the newly formed establishment of Karachi (1839). Right after this battle and the annexation of Sindh by the East India Company, the province was added to the larger Bombay Presidency that lasted till 1936. Due to the negligence of Sindh as being farther from Bombay, and an unsuccessful demand to annex Sindh with Punjab, the province was carved out as a separate one, with Karachi serving as its capital till 1947, when the city was also made the national capital till 1967. 

Another interesting feature of Karachi is a strange connection with Goa. The story goes back to when in the mid-1800s, numerous Goanese sailed to Karachi to escape Portuguese domination. Since the western coast of the Bombay Province was bombarded with Portuguese influence to Diu, Karachi was the only safe house independent of any Portuguese influence. This resulted in building of the Karachi Goan Association in 1886, which continues today. 

Karachi boasts numerous Gothic architectures built between the 19th and 21st centuries. Frere Hall, the Karachi Municipal Building, the Mereweather Clock Tower, the Mohatta Palace, the Hindu Gymkhana (today's National Academy of Performing Arts), the Empress Market Building, Flagstaff Hall (Quaid-e-Azam Museum), St. Patrick Cathedral, etc. 

Karachi also stood as the capital of Pakistan between 1947 to 1967 before moving to the newly created Islamabad. The larger Karachi district was broken down into Thatta, Sujawal, Malir and the various fragments of the Karachi district - Karachi West, Keamari, Korangi, Karachi East, Karachi Central and Karachi South. These fragments, together with Keamari, form the Karachi Division. 

Below here is a recreated version of a 1911 dated map of Karachi.