Karachi, the city of lights, is the largest city on the Arabian coast, a prominent industrial and marine port of Pakistan. Tourist attractions in Karachi are as abundant as the enormous city itself is, providing immense activities for the visitors. Major tourist attractions in Karachi include cultural, architectural, and archaeological heritage, top of the line food outlets, entertainment centres, besides plenty of educational institutions.
Major Attractions
Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum (Mazar-e-Quaid)
Quaid e Azam mausoleum
Standing graciously atop a 54 square meters platform with a commanding view, the Quaid-e-Azam’s Mausoleum in the heart of Karachi is the final resting place of the father of nation and Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The monumental mausoleum was built by a Pakistani architect Yahya Merchant in 1958-68. The exterior is decked using white marble and interior is adorned with a four-tiered Chinese crystal chandelier adorned with an Iranian silver railing. The mausoleum also houses the graves of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah (sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and that of the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaqat Ali Khan, in its basement. Bearing a fusion of traditional and modern Islamic architecture, the mausoleum was inspired by the Samanid Mausoleum in Uzbekistan.
Wazir Mansion
The Wazir Mansion in Karachi is the birthplace of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. After partition, this house was sold to a landlord who gave the name Wazir Mansion to this facility. It was purchased by the government of Pakistan in the 1970s and turned into a heritage site. The protected national monument is a three-story building situated in Kharadar, Karachi, and attracts thousands of devoted Pakistanis to pay homage. The ground floor of the mansion currently serves as a museum while the upper floors exhibit the personal belongings of Jinnah.
Mohatta Palace
The Mohatta Palace in Karachi was built by a Marwari businessman, Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta, in 1925 as his summer residential palace covering an area of around 18,500 sq. feet. Defining distinctive features of Rajasthani architecture, the palace was built using pink Jodhpur stone and local yellow stone from Gizri. It was dedicated to Hindu God, Lord Shiva, situated on the terrace of the Palace. He could use the palace only until the partition and left for India. Following Pakistan’s independence, the two sisters of the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Fatima Jinnah & Shireen Jinnah, subsequently occupied the palace until 1980. However, after the death of Shireen Jinnah, the palace was converted into a museum. It is now used as an art gallery and museum and the premises are used for exhibitions.
Frere Hall
Dating back to 1865, the Frere Hall building recalls the time of British rule in the subcontinent. It is a well-preserved beautiful structure surrounded by lush green gardens. The building serves as a library and an art gallery today. Designed by Henry Saint Clair Wilkins, the unique building of Frere Hall is located in the Saddar district, which is also home to many other picturesque colonial architectures. It was built in honour of the then commissioner of Sind (1851-1859) Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere who promoted some economic development in Karachi. This yellowish Karachi limestone edifice has two floors comprising a hall, an orchestral gallery and the Liaquat Municipal Library on the ground floor
Sindh High Court
The Sindh High Court building in Saddar is an iconic colonial building built from1923-1929. This beautiful Renaissance architecture building was built using the reddish tinged Jodhpur sandstone and embellished with cupolas, balconies and tall Roman-style columns. The building was declared open by His Excellency Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes, Governor of Bombay. The Sindh High Court is one of the very few well-preserved heritage buildings of Karachi. Tourist can visit 8:30 till 5:00 Monday to Saturday without any ticket or permission.
Karachi Metropolitan Development Corporation Building (KMC)
KMC is a historic building located at M. A. Jinnah road. Its foundation stone was laid in 1927, construction work completed in 1930, and it was inaugurated in 1932. Karachi has an abundance of architecturally fascinating buildings built during British Raj and many of these intriguing buildings are now public offices and aren’t so easily accessible for sightseeing. This includes the impressive Karachi Metropolitan Development Corporation Building built in 1935 to mark George V’s Silver Jubilee. The building has pointed Oriental cupolas rising at its four corners and has a prominent clock tower that’s also domed in the same style.
Three Swords Monument
Three Swords or Commonly known as Teen Talwaar is one of the oldest monuments in Clifton, Karachi. The swords convey Jinnah’s creeds Unity, Faith, and Discipline. It was commissioned by Pakistan’s former President and Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and built by the great Pakistani architect Mr. Mistri in early 1970. When it was first built on Karachi’s Clifton Road, it was a prominent landmark.
Hindu Gymkhana (National Academy of Performing Arts)
The Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi is a major tourist attraction on Sarwar Shaheed Road in Sadar. It is a colonial-era building established as a club for the Hindu elite class in 1925 and stretched over a leased area of around 47,000 sq. yds. Its 100 years lease will end in 2020. The condition the Gymkhana was deteriorated and was almost demolished in 1984 but was protected by Heritage Foundation of Pakistan. Its architecture is an amalgamation of both the Mughal and Hindu style. The Hindu Gymkhana houses the National Academy of Performing Arts – an institution established to conserve and teach performing arts and music.
Museums
Quaid-e-Azam House Museum
The Quaid-e-Azam House Museum is an important National Monument in the heart of Karachi also used to be the residential place of Quaid-e-Azam from 1944 till his death in 1948 and his sister Fatima Jinnah lived till 1964. This place is also known as “Flagstaff House” because the British Indian Army rented it and allotted it to senior officers including General Douglas David Gracy, who later served as the second commander in chief of the Pakistan Army. The building was designed by a British architect, Moses Somake. This gorgeous yellow stone double story house consists of arched openings, carved pillars, semicircular balconies and six spacious rooms. It was purchased by Quaid-e-Azam in 1943 at the cost of Rs. 1,15,000 and it was acquired by the Pakistani government in 1985 and conserved as a museum.
National Museum of Pakistan
National Museum of Pakistan
Established in 1950, the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi is the richest museum of the city that houses a diverse range of artifacts including paintings, relics, sculptures, coins, manuscripts and much more associated with all aspects of Pakistani culture. Its eleven galleries showcasing a set of 58,000 coins, 70,000 books and other antiquities its collection from the Indus Valley & Gandhara Civilization, the collection of Islamic art in the form of rare manuscripts of the holy Quran and its information of economy to the political history of Pakistan. The major purpose of creating this museum was to promote people and history of Pakistan through the rich collections it holds.
PAF Museum
PAf-Museum-in-Karachi
PAF museum in Karachi is a renowned museum houses planes, jets, radars, and weaponry that have been used by the Pakistan Air Force through the course of years, particularly during the 1965 war with India. Moreover, there are also WW 1 and WW2 scale models and some modern planes on the display as well. The Museum is located next to the PAF Base Faisal on the main Shahrah-e-Faisal. It was inaugurated on the 14 August 1997 and opened to the general public in October 1997.
Pakistan Maritime Museum
Pakistan Maritime Museum
Pakistan Maritime Museum is a Navel museum ranked among the city’s best attractions. Stretched over 28 acres the museum building comprises of 6 galleries and an auditorium. It is a very educative place for visitors – galleries inside it and an auditorium along with exterior marine displays. The park outside provides the visitors most relax environment and helps build up the knowledge about Aircraft. It gives visitors a chance to see a real submarine, along with several aircraft and different artillery of the previous years that were used by the Pakistan Navy.
PIA Planetarium
PIA Planetarium KarachiPIA Planetarium in Karachi is a Pakistani planetarium contains a Sky-Dome and a Boeing jet plane standing in a park. It was established in 1985 and is a good source of education to students of science. Special shows for school and college student groups are arranged. A special documentary on tourist attractions in Pakistan is shown in the plane while a documentary on the solar system can be watched in the Planetarium. This planetarium is working under Pakistan International Airlines. A short visit to the Planetarium.
State Bank Museum
The State Bank Museum in Karachi is the best kept and informative Art Gallery. There are information panels presented all around. It begins with the trading and bartering all the way up to present day currency. It has a very big collection of stamps, coins, and notes on the lower floors of the museum. The upper floor central hall has frescoes by Sadequain on both sides – the smaller room on one side has smaller artwork while the other side has the larger paintings of Sadequain. The impressive building is constructed in the 1920s with red stone like other British era buildings in the city. Its architectural resemblance is like that of Greek’s with four column façades of the entrance. The building stands out elegantly amongst the other concrete buildings, mostly banks, on I.I. Chandrigar road close to the Karachi city Railway station. The only problem is the parking as the surroundings lack parking area. To enter, it is mandatory to prove the identity and you are required to carry the CNIC.
Holy Places
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick CathedralSt. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral Church in Karachi is the first worship place in Karachi situated on Shahrah-e-Iraq near Empress Market, Sadar. It was initially built in 1845 and was design by the famous architect Father Karl Wagner. It was destroyed by a storm in 1885 and later the new improved and huge space building was beautifully designed and intelligently constructed under the architect Kausar Ali. The Church can accommodate about 1500 worshippers at a time. Under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act, the cathedral was declared as a protected monument in 2003 for its outstanding architectural beauty.
Masjid-e-Tooba or Defence Housing Authority Mosque
Masjid-e-Tooba or Masjid-i-Tuba is listed amongst the major tourist attractions of Karachi for the unique architectural design it holds. Locally, the mosque is known as Gol (round) Masjid or Defence Housing Authority Mosque. The mosque is built of the pure white marble with a dome measuring 236 feet in diameter and supported by a low surrounding wall and no central column. Its thermally proofed interior is insulated with thousands of mirror tiles, giving the impression of twinkling stars. It is the 18th largest mosque in the world and can accommodate up to 5000 worshippers at a time. The mosque is located in the Defence Housing Society of Karachi and was designed by a Pakistani architect named Dr. Babar Hamid Chauhan in 1969.
Ziarat of Abdullah Shah Gazi
The shrine with green dome overlooking the Clifton Beach in Karachi is the mausoleum of the 9th century Sufi, Abdullah Shah Ghazi. It used to be a tiny shaky hut on a sandy hillside and was renovated in the 1960s during Ayub’s regime thereby drawing more and more believers. Weekly Qawwali and Dhamaal (devotional singing) take place almost every Thursday which is believed to have mystical healing qualities. Moreover, there are still many people believing that Shah Ghazi’s spirit remains Karachi’s best deterrent against cyclones rampant in the Arabian Sea.
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the only Swaminarayan temple in Pakistan built in 1849. The Mandir is located at the centre of a Hindu neighbourhood on the M. A. Jinnah Road in Karachi. It was built in the honor of Shri Swaminarayan who was an incarnation of God and lived his life in Ahmedabad, Gujrat. Several temples have been dedicated to him around the world but the temple in Karachi is the only one in Pakistan. The temple has served as a refugee camp in 1947 during partition. The original images of Lord Swaminarayan were taken to India during the times of independence. Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is notable for its size and front, over 27,012 m sq. Its 150th anniversary was celebrated in April 2004. Not only Hindus but also Muslims visit the temple which adds to its notability. There is a sacred cowshed within the premises of this temple.
Holy Trinity Cathedral
The Gothic style Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral at Fatima Jinnah Road, near Zainab Market, was built in 1855 to meet British spiritual needs. The garrison church was designed by Captain John Hill of the Bombay Engineers as the garrison church – the first major churches of Karachi – housing some fascinating plaques inside erected to the memory of British soldiers who died in various campaigns in Sindh. Its original unusually tall tower, which was later reduced by two stories in 1905 for safety, worked as a lighthouse for the ship arriving at Karachi Harbor. Services offered at 09:00 every Sunday.
St Andrew’s Church
The Gothic style Saint Andrew’s Church in Saddar, Karachi – also known as the Scottish church – was built in 1868 by the architect T G Newnham for the Presbyterian (Scottish) mission in British India. The church was used by foreigners until 1947 and services were offered in English. However, in 1969 Urdu services were started by the Christians living in the Saddar area. Following the union of Protestant churches across the country, it was affiliated with the Church of Pakistan in 1970. The Anglican St Andrew’s Church has services at 09:00 every Sunday.
Chaukhandi Tombs
Located about 29 km east of Karachi near Landhi town, the Tombs of Chaukandi are famous for their artfully designed pyramid-shaped sandstone tombs decorated with exclusive geometrical patterns, symbols, flowers, swastikas, and diamonds. Tombs of the female buried have carvings of bangles and necklaces and are easy to identify. These uniquely decorated sandstones are built by Baluchi and Burpat tribes between 15th to 18th century and typical to the Sindh region.
Shopping
Dolmen Mall Clifton
Dolmen Mall in Karachi is one of the modern shopping malls of international standards houses all famous brands besides a variety of restaurants. It can simply address most of the shopping needs besides a source of great outing with family and friends. The mall can be visited at any time, yet Saturdays are only allowed for families. The shopping mall has ample space for car parking.
Zainab Market
Zainab Market is a name synonymous to the residents of Karachi, but visitors must also know that this market is famous for all kinds of export leftover, imported stuff, and local causal & fashion wear including everything related to clothing. Now the market is annexed with some other shopping choices including the Rex centre, international market, Atrium Mall, and Madina Mall. The market is located near the very old and famous shopping area called Zaibunissa Road in Sadar near Avari Towers Hotel.
Empress Market
Empress Market Karachi
Colourful yet chaotic, Empress Market in Sadar, Karachi, is a marketplace that sells all imaginable groceries, live animals, pets, stationery, textile and much more. Its origin dates to the British era between 1884 and 1889 and was named to commemorate Queen Victoria, Empress of India. It is a major tourist attraction also has a historic significance. Empress Market was situated on the grounds where a number of spoys were executed ruthlessly after the Indian rebellion of 1857 and the spoys had their heads blown off by cannibals in an attempt to suppress the feeling of mutiny among locals.
Amusement Parks
Arabian Sea Country Club
The Arabian Sea Country Club is an ideal place for a quick getaway from the city centre. This golf course and the sports club has a lot to try by your hand – be it a shooting spree or riding horseback. Many of the other facilities include cricket, squash, tennis, snooker and swimming.
Ibne Qasim Park
Stretched over 130 acres of land, the Bin Qasim Park in Clifton, Karachi, is the largest urban park visited by over 10 million people each year. The beachside park is also called Bagh Ibne Qasim named after the Arab conqueror Muhammad bin Qasim. The park has an accommodation capacity of about 300,000 people at a time. It has a green landscape with hundreds of trees and jogging trails for health-conscious residents. The park is equipped with stone benches, lighting towers, footlights for visitors’ convenience and has a turtle pond, washrooms, canopies for shades, dinosaur murals and a rose garden that make it an ideal place to visit for families. It remains open 24/7.
Beaches and Harbors
Clifton Beach
The popular Clifton Beach in the Arabian Sea near the Sadar town is the busiest beach in Karachi. Many locals and tourists flock to stroll on holidays and weekends. Evenings are always colourful here. Its golden sands, amusement park and an array of food stalls encircling the beach attract tourists like a magnet. Camel and horse ride on the sands are the most popular activities to keep the tourists busy.
Sandspit
Sandspit, a name derived from the pits where turtles lay their eggs. It is a popular beach and a tourist spot in Karachi after Clifton Beach situated near Hawks Bay in the southwest of Karachi. The Sandspit beach is a nesting ground for the Green and Olive Ridley Turtles during winters. It is also home to a variety of algae and crabs. The shallow waters here are ideal for swimming and sunbathing. The beachside has an unusual rock formation that is unique to this place. Besides, like Clifton Beach, Sandspit also has horse and camel rides for tourists.
Turtle Beach
The Turtle Beach is a breading spot for green turtle species. It is located between Hawk’s Bay and Sandspit. One can easily spot these turtles during winters, usually after dusk. Major attractions of this delightful beach are the blue waters and the turtles which attract visitors.
Hawkes Bay
Hawks Bay or Hawksbay, named after a Governor from the Victorian era, is situated about 25 km southwest of Karachi. It is a popular sandy beach with crystal blue water and attracts beach lovers mostly during summers. Unique and tranquil, Hawks Bay is a great retreat from the hustle and bustle of the busy city life of Karachi. People visiting from outside Karachi must choose a weekday to enjoy the serenity on the beach. Huts are available on rent for the visitors planning to spend the whole day. Camel and horse rides are available on negotiable prices.
French Beach
At 40 km from the city center, the romantic French Beach in Karachi is a beach mostly visited by Karachi’s upper class and expatriates. It is located between Hawks Bay and Paradise Point. This rocky beach is surrounded by clear waters and is ideal for surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming. Locally it is known as Haji Ismail Goth and is a small fishing village surrounded by a boundary wall and inside there are huts for rent. There are no grocery shops, visitors must bring their own supplies.
Paradise Point
Paradise Point at the Arabian Sea is a sandstone rock formation with a natural arch, located about 45 minutes’ drive from the main city center through the Mubarak Goth Road. It is one of the major tourist attractions in Karachi one can enjoy beachside activities including swimming, camel rides, amusement parks etc
Mubarak Village/Beach
About 30 km south of Karachi, along with the shores of the Arabian Sea, is a small fishing village of about 2500 anglers and their families, called Mubarak Village. It is locally known as Mubarak Goth inhabited mostly by Baloch and is accessible in about 1.5 hours. A beautiful beach of jeweled blue waters bordered by golden brown sands is the beach of Mubarak Village, not far from Hawks Bay. It is surrounded by rocky hills and is a delightful escape in Kiamari township. The calm waters of this natural harbor provide a unique spot for fishermen to anchor their boats.
Keamari Harbor
It is a natural harbor strategically perched on the Arabian Sea. It is an entrance to Karachi’s busy port and serves as an economic hub for Pakistan.
Manora Island
Manora Island is a small 2.5 km2 peninsula accessible on a short ferry ride from Kemari Harbor. Karachi’s Talpur rulers surrendered to British at Manora Island and a lighthouse was erected at this place which is still intact. Manora has a great sea breeze to enjoy.
Cape Mount
Cape Mount or Cape Monze Beach is shoreline on the Arabian sea located on the beach street near Mubarak village, west to Paradise point. It has been a separation marker for ships moving towards the Karachi Harbor.
Food
Do Darya
The line of these magnificent restaurants goes all the way into the shores of the Arabian Sea. It is a paradise for local food lovers. These restaurants offer almost all the local delights.
Port Grand
Port Grand is where one can find a variety of food in its high-end open-air restaurants annexing the Arabian Sea. Besides the food, the beautiful view of the port and the romantic view of the sunset from the deck is amazing to watch. For people visiting with families, there are places to engage kids and for cultural activities besides the facility of Valet parking.
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