The cultural history of Karachi goes back at least five thousand years to the emergence of the Indus Valley Civilization in the third millennium BC. The early culture is mostly Neolithic with widespread usage of small cart[clarification needed] implements and semi-precious stones. The many megalithic Arab graves around Karachi gave evidence towards megalithic movements of the Arabian Peninsula.[1]
Part of the town of Karachi, with mud houses; camels and villagers in foreground. April 1851
Historians called Karachi Krokola, which literally means "a place of crocodile worship". Around 1558, Karachi was a conglomerate of about 24 fishing villages called Kalachi or Kalati. This small settlement became wealthy when Seth Bhoju Mal laid the foundation of a small township on the left bank of Lyari River in 1729. During 1793, princes from the Kalhora dynasty viewed the harbour as a way to gain profits. Later, in 1839, the British captured the Manora Fort, thereby putting the town under British rule.[2]
The modern port city of Karachi was developed by authorities of the British Raj in the 19th century. Upon the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the city was selected to become the national capital, and was settled by Muslim Urdu-speaking Muhajirs (اردو مہاجر قوم, creators of Pakistan) at the time of the independence, which boosted both the population and economy.
Heritage
The cultural heritage of Karachi after 1947 is that of the Muhajir community of Urdu-speaking (اردو مہاجر قوم) and their Urdu language, clothes (کرتا پاجامہ شیروانی), education and foods (Nihari, Biryani, Kabab, Nihari; نہاری, بریانی, کباب, حلیم).
Its earlier heritage includes the story of the Kalachi-Jo-Kunn (whirlpool of Kalachi), in which Moriro performed a feat of strength by killing a monstrous shark that killed all six of his brothers as they were fishing.[citation needed]
A number of cultural sites in and around Karachi testify to the glorious past of Karachi. In recent years, the Sindhi population in the city has surged.
WAGU DARR, earthen cavity for the living of a crocodile, is located at the coastal village of Chashma Goth near Korangi. A natural sweet water spring flows perennially past this site. It is also a crocodile worship center besides Manghopir where people offer meat to the crocodiles and bathe in hot and cold sulphuric springs to treat skin diseases. The ruins of RATO KOT are located in the Korangi Creek. This fort is thought to have been a contemporary settlement of Debal's port (sometimes called Bhambhore) conquered by Mohammad Bin Qasim in 712 AD. Baked earthen balls used in mechanically-driven cannons, shards, glazed tiles, and other artifacts are found scattered on the site. The CHOWKUNDI graveyard, a protected monument of the 17th— 18th century, and BALOCH TOMBS near Memon Goth of Malir exhibit monumental structures of stone-carved graves.
MOKHI-MATARA (named after the folklore story) is another cultural site situated on the top of Narathar Hill near Gadap and located on an ancient route emanating from ancient Debal port to Central Asia. The folklore of Mokhi-Matara is also sung by Sindh's greatest poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.[3]
Language
Historically, Sindhi and Balochi were spoken by the native population before the British conquest in 1843 by Charles James Napier. During British rule, many Gujarati and Parsi business families as well as Christian Goans bureaucrats migrated from Bombay Presidency to Karachi, as it was being developed as a major port. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Muslim (Muhajirs) migrated to Karachi. The vast majority of Muhajirs spoke Urdu. Today, Karachi is a predominantly Urdu-speaking (Muhajir) city with many other languages also spoken in the city. The Pashtuns (Pakhtuns or Pathans), originally from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, are now the city's second largest ethnic group in Karachi after Muhajirs.[4][5] As high as 7,000,000 people by some estimates, the city of Karachi in Pakistan has the largest concentration of urban Pakhtun population in the world, including 50,000 registered Afghan refugees in the city.[6] The current demographic ratio has 12% of people who are Pashtuns.[7]
Poetry has close connections to Pakistani culture. Karachi boasts a large community of intellectuals who come together in designated open spaces to share their talent in poetry events known as mushairas in the local language. Many intellectuals and aspiring poets from all over the nation travel to Karachi, hoping to find better work opportunities in the city.
Notable poets include Ishrat Afreen, a Pakistani feminist and a prominent poet. Afreen recently launched her second Urdu poetry collection under the name "Dhoop apnay hissay ki".[12]
Mustansar Hussain Tarar, recently released a collection of short stories after switching from poetry to writing fiction, entitled "Pandra Kahaniyan".
Ahfazur Rahman, a non-fiction Karachi writer, received praise on his book Sab Say Bari Jang.[13]
Arts
National Academy of Performing Arts
Art academies, arenas and festivals
Karachi is home to some of Pakistan's important cultural institutions. The National Academy of Performing Arts[14] is located in the newly renovated Hindu Gymkhana. The All Pakistan Music Conference, linked to the 45-year-old similar institution in Lahore, has been holding its Annual Music Festival since its inception in 2004. The festival is considered to be a prominent part of the culture, awaited anxiously and attended by more than 3000 citizens of Karachi as well as people from other cities.[15]
Aside from regular performances by the nation's biggest musical stars, Karachi also boasts one of the biggest underground music scenes in the country, where traditional musical influences blend with modern, Western style to create fusion music. Many of the nation's emerging musicians have based themselves in Karachi. Many of the nation's musical acts can be found in cafes, restaurants, and concerts across Karachi, especially in the city's upper middle class and upper class areas.
Karachi is home to the Clifton Art Gallery and Koel Gallery.[16] The Calligraphy Artist Bin Qulander exhibited his work entiteld "God in the details".[17]
Meat, mainly beef and mutton, plays a dominant role in Karachi food. Curries, pulses like lentils called dal, are primarily featured in the town's local dishes. Dishes made with rice include pullao and biryani. Different kinds of breads include Chapati, Naan, Tandoor bread, Paratha and Puri. Sindhi biryani is also very common in the city.
Many religious and cultural festivities are observed across the city. Religious events such as Ramadan, Chaand Raat, Eid, Milad un Nabi, and Ashura are commonly celebrated. Shopping reaches its peak during the Eid season, as not only established businesses come in, but vendors from all over the country come to the city to sell their goods to the city's large population, a majority of which is middle class and relatively well-off compared to most other parts of the country. Many rallies and parades are carried out during the events of Milaad un Nabi, Ashura, Jashn-e-Baharan, and Nowruz by religious leaders and followers all across the city. Ethnic and religious minorities, like Christians, Hindus, or Ismailis, also celebrate their events, although not on as large a scale as Islamic events.
Independence Day on 14 August is an important event for all Karachiites. A national holiday is commenced all over the country on this date, as homes are decorated with flags and patriotic embellishments, and children sing patriotic songs known as milli naghmas. The festivity of this day is such that a small cottage industry has emerged in large cities, like Karachi, to supply the decoration demands of Independence Day. Although not as recognized as Independence Day, Defence Day is also passionately observed across the city on 6 September every year. Pakistan Day or Resolution Day is observed on 23 March every year.
The Sindh Cultural Day is celebrated in the city in the month of December every year since 2009. People wear traditional Sindhi topi and Ajrak and gather to play songs, dance, and attend watch artists perform.
National dress
The national dress of Karachi is Shalwar Qameez (Urdu: شلوار قمیض), a traditional a garment worn by both women and men in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Shalwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The Qameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak) are left open below the waist for flexibility.
Karachi dwellers prefer to maintain their basic ethnic identity and lifestyles, and live together with their respective groups in their respective neighborhoods. For example, Kiamari is known for their Kutchi language and Kharadar is for Memons and Agha Khanis; similarly, Lyari is known for Baloch and Memons, Nazimabad and Liaquatabad for Muhajirs (Urdu speaking people), and Malir is known for Sindhi. The mentality has been reinforced as a result of serious clashes, which have taken place in the recent past among different ethnic groups in this city.
Karachi in popular culture of Sindh
Karachi has been sung about, notably the folk songs from in Sindhi marriages, called Sehra (سهرا) and Ladda (لاڏا ) such as:
آيلڙي مون ته سُئي وڃائي ڪراچيءَ جي شهر مان مون سُئي گھُرائي
ڪراچيءَ جي شهر مان منڊيون جوڙايم سونا گل ڪراچيءَ جي موٽر ڀرجي آيا
In addition, Karachi is also known for the legend of Morirro Mirbahar, sung by Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in his poetry. This legend has also been adapted into a Sindhi movie titled Ghatoo Ghar na Ayaa (Sindhi: گھاتُو گھر نه آيا).
Karachi jaa ddeeha' aee' raatioo (Sindhi: ڪراچيءَ جا ڏينهن ۽ راتيون, Days and Nights of Karachi) is a novel written by Muhammad Bux Johar.
Hyderabad is a city and the capital of Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the second-largest city in Sindh, and the fifth largest in Pakistan.
Landhi Colony is a residential neighborhood in the Malir District of Karachi, Pakistan. It is a part of Bin Qasim Town, Karachi.
Darsano Chhana or Darsano Chhanno is a neighbourhood in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan, that previously was a part of Gadap Town until 2011.
SherShah is a neighbourhood in Karachi, Pakistan, that is located along the northern bank of the Lyari River. Sher Shah is home to the Morroro Graveyard - a vast cemetery that is centuries old. It is also the site of some of Karachi's recycling industry. In October 2010, Baloch terrorists gunned down 13 members of the Urdu-speaking community in a spare-parts market.
Singo Lane is a residential neighbourhood in Lyari, located in the Karachi South district of Karachi, Pakistan.
Allama Iqbal Colony is a residential neighbourhood in Lyari Town, located in the Karachi South district of Karachi, Pakistan.
Baloch Goth is a neighbourhood in the Orangi municipality of Karachi, Pakistan. It is administered as part of Karachi West district, but was part of the Orangi Town borough until that was disbanded in 2011.
Pak Sadat Colony is a neighbourhood in the Korangi District in eastern Karachi, Pakistan. It was previously part of Shah Faisal Town, which was an administrative unit that was disbanded in 2011.
Manghopir or Mangopir is a neighbourhood in the Orangi District of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, that previously was a part of Gadap Town until 2011.
Taiser Town or Taiser Town Scheme-45 is a neighborhood in Malir Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was established by the Malir Development Authority to resettle people displaced due to the construction of the Lyari Expressway along the Lyari River. It is located near the Gulshan-e-Maymar toll plaza, northern bypass and Khuda Ki Basti. Taiser Town is also known as Lyari Basti.
Garden West is the main area of Jamshed Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Karachi is the largest and most populous city in Pakistan. The population of Karachi is estimated to be around 16 million (16,093,786) in 2020. The population and demographic distribution in the megacity has undergone numerous changes over the past 150 years. On 14 August 1947, when it became the capital city of Pakistan, its population was about 450,000 inhabitants However, the population rapidly grew with large influx of Muslim refugees after independence in 1947. By 1951, the city population had crossed one million mark. in the following decade, the rate of growth of Karachi was over 80 percent. Today, the city has grown 60 times its size in 1947 when it became the country's first capital. Although, Islamabad remains the nation's capital since the 1960s, the city's population continues to grow at about 5% per annum, largely thanks to its strong economic base.
The Muhajir people are Muslim immigrants of various ethnic groups and regional origins, and their descendants, who migrated from various regions of India after the Partition of India to settle in the newly independent state of Pakistan. The community includes those immigrants' descendants, most of whom are settled in Karachi and other parts of urban Sindh. The Muhajir community also includes stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh who migrated to Pakistan after 1971 following the secession of East Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Karachi cuisine refers to the cuisine found mainly in the city of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a multicultural cuisine as a result of the city consisting of various ethnic groups from different parts of Pakistan. Karachi is considered the melting pot of Pakistan.
Operation Lyari was a Pakistan Government crackdown against local gangs and other crime syndicates and part of the greater Karachi Operation.
Baloch Colony is one of the neighbourhoods of Jamshed Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Usmania Colony or Osmania Colony is a neighbourhood of Liaquatabad Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Hijrat Colony is one of the neighbourhoods of Lyari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Razzaqabad is one of the neighborhoods of Liaquatabad Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Muhajir culture is the culture of the various Muslims of different ethnicities who migrated mainly from North India in 1947 generally to Karachi, the federal capital of Pakistan and before 1947 Karachi is the capital of Sindh. They consist of various ethnicities and linguistic groups. The Muhajirs are mainly concentrated in Karachi and Hyderabad.
↑ Curtis, Lisa; Mullick, Haider (4 May 2009). "Reviving Pakistan's Pluralist Traditions to Fight Extremism". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2011
↑ a b c "Religions: Islam 95%, other (includes Christian and Hindu, 2% Ahmadiyyah ) 5%". CIA. The World Factbook on Pakistan. 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
^ International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: "Have Pakistanis Forgotten Their Sufi Traditions?" by Rohan Bedi April 2006
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
