Home > Architecture > Elphinstone Street 1917

Zaibunnisa Street

Zaibunnisa (Zebunnissa, Zaib-un-Nissa) Street is a famous and historic street in Karachi. Located in Saddar, at the heart of the city, it is one of Karachi's oldest streets.

It was originally known as Elphinstone Street, in honour of a British official. Its name was changed to 'Zaibunnisa Street' in 1970 after an influnential Pakistani journalist and writer Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah. It is one of Karachi's most renowned shopping districts. In addition, some consulates and hotels are also found on this street. It is one of the city's most vital arteries, and, as such, is subjected to a lot of pollution from transport.

Begum Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah was a pioneer of Pakistani literature and journalism in English, and also a pioneer of feminism in Pakistan. She was Pakistan's first female columnist, editor and political commentator.

Before the historical Indo-Pak partition 1947, she wrote for many Indian newspapers, and was the first Muslim woman to have a column in an Indian newspaper. After Partition, she became the first female political commentator in Pakistan, because of her column in the Dawn newspaper. After she left Dawn, she became the founder and editor-publisher of the first social glossy magazine in South Asia "Mirror". Due to her status as Pakistan's first woman editor, she also became the first Pakistani woman to be included in Pakistani press delegations abroad.