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Karachi 1892 : It was the time when Karachi started welcoming various migrants from various parts of country. Due to economic boom, Karachi became one of the largest cosmopolitan in the world. Today Karachi is one of the most modest city in entire Muslim world, with state of art Univerisity, Business Outsourcing Firm, Research Institutes and more.

 

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 712AD. According to the British historian Eliot, parts of city of Karachi and the island of Manora constituted the city of Debal.

According to legend however, the present city started its life as a fishing settlement where a fisherwoman by the name of Mai Kolachee 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 1700’s this village started trading across the sea with Muscat and the Persian Gulf region which led to its gaining importance, and a small fort was constructed for its protectionwith a few canons imported from Muscat.

Karachi had entered into a turning point in its life. The British realized its importance as a military cantonment and a port for the produce of the Indus basin, and rapidly developed its harbor for shipping. The foundations of a city municipal government were laid down by Commissioner in Sinde, Bartle Frere and infrastructure development was undertaken. Consequently, new businesses started opening up and the population of the town started rising rapidly making Karachi quickly turn into a city.

In 1857, the First Indian War for Independence broke out in the sub-continent.

In 1864, a direct telegraph connection was laid down between Karachi and London from where the first telegraphic message was sent from India to England. 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, The Karachi Port Trust was established in 1886 and by 1899 Karachi had become the largest wheat exporting port in the East. The population of the city had also risen to about 105,000 inhabitants by the end of the 19th century and was acosmopolitan mix of Indian Hindus and Muslims, European traders, Parsis, Iranians, Lebanese, and Goan merchants.