Historic places in Karachi

119 historic buildings, sites and memorials in Karachi.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 119.

SeeMuseum
National Museum of Pakistan
Displays a two million years old axe discovered on the Potohar Plateau. There is a remarkable gallery describing the early civilisation of Debal and Mansura. The collection of 58,000 old coins goes back as far as the 7th century CE and there are hundreds of well preserved sculptures. Another gallery, the ‘Freedom Movement gallery’, contains a large collection of pictures and articles arising from the time of the Independence movement. Items on display include archaeological artefacts, Islamic art, and other historical documents. The Quran gallery is renovated, equipped with air conditioning, modern lighting and audio system and has more than 300 copies of the Holy Quran, out of which around 52 rare manuscripts are on display. A gallery is dedicated to the relics obtained from cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa of the famous Indus Valley Civilization, such as Moenjodaro’s best-known relics, the iconic sculpture of the priest-king and a bronze statuette of a dancing girl. Sa-Tu, Th 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00; F 09:00-12:00.
Closed · opens 10 am
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Pakistan Maritime Museum
A well maintained naval museum and park which comprises six galleries and an auditorium. The main museum building is located inside the park. The museum is based on modern concepts of presentation and interactive education. Different artifacts of maritime and naval heritage have been incorporated through attractive dioramas, relief sculpture, murals and miniature paintings, touch screen computers, taxidermy and ancient weapons. A computer based maritime information retrieval system has also been incorporated to facilitate the visitors and students for easy access. Besides, the museum also displays Daphne Class Submarine PNS Hangor (S131), a small yard-class Minesweeper Ship, Breguet Atlantic aircraft and a wooden barge that was gifted to Naval Chief during 60s. Some good outdoor exhibits. Only families are allowed on weekends.
Closed · opens 8 amRs 30
SeeAttraction
Karachi Zoo
کراچی چڑیاگھر
Established in 1878 and for a time commonly called 'Mahatma Gandhi Garden', this is one of the oldest zoos in Pakistan. There are around 500 different species of birds, 180 species of mammals and nearly 200 species of reptiles in some 107 cages. Attractions include "White Lions", "Mumtaz Mahal" and the "Elephant House", where two female African bush elephants born in Tanzania, named 'Noor Jahan' and 'Madhu Bala' were brought. A Mughal Garden including Mughal-style fountains, established in 1970, occupies a major part of the zoo with green lawns and seasonal plants. The garden is famous for different varieties of roses and other flowers that are exhibited there. A "Natural History Museum", is also one of the famous attractions of the zoo with stuffed animals, skins, antlers, horns and feathers. The Municipal Aquarium is also located in the zoo. It was constructed in 1953 and has a total of 28 tanks which contain a total of around 300 fishes from about 30 species. There is also a boating lake and a "Reptile House" which is one of the few reptile houses in Pakistan. There are 13 species of snakes and lizards. Newly born hatchlings of turtles, tortoises, terrapin and crocodilians are also exhibited.
Rs 10 · Limited wheelchair access
SeeMuseum
Wazir Mansion
Quaid-i-Azam Birthplace Museum) (وزیر مینشن
This two-storey building was a family home completed in 1865, of the country's founder, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where he was born and brought up. The house is foremost among Karachi’s historical and oldest buildings and is a protected national monument. It was renovated in 2008, has a reading hall and a library on the ground floor which has a collection of books related to the history of Pakistan and those that were once possessed by Quaid-i-Azam during his law graduation. The museum is located on the first floor and contains two galleries. One gallery incorporates three rooms including the one in which Quaid-i-Azam was born while the second and third rooms contain articles such as furniture which he used as the first Governor General of Pakistan. The second gallery on the second floor contains other relics of Quaid-e-Azam which are displayed in nine showcases. Relics include his dresses and other personal items used by Jinnah.
SeeViewpoint
Frere Hall
موہٹہ پیلس
A well preserved building and a beautiful structure built during the days of the British Raj in 1865. The main building built in the Venetian Gothic style with yellowish Karachi limestone and red and grey sandstone located in the middle of two beautiful, large and lush green lawns which extend to the road. The two peaceful gardens named "Bagh-e-Jinnah" (Jinnah Garden) have two old Victorian style fountains. It houses a gallery on first floor, which is full of paintings by Pakistan’s iconic artist Sadequain. The gallery exhibits his masterpieces of paintings and calligraphy. There is also a library. There is a book fair every Sunday where you can get cheap books both new and used.
SeeHistory museum
Pakistan Air Force Museum
An impressive outdoor Air Force museum and park established in 1990 and then expanded significantly. Well organized displays with over 30 aircraft, weapons and radar have been displayed in vast lush green park, the main museum is located inside the building and features all major fighter aircraft that have been used by the Pakistan Air Force during wars with India. On display include scale models of some World War I, World War II and modern aircraft and photo galleries of almost all the squadrons of Pakistan Air Force. The museum also houses the Vickers VC.1 Viking used by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah and a Folland Gnat of Indian Airforce, which was captured by Pakistani forces from Pasror in the 1965 war. Guided tours are free, and uncrowded on weekdays. Rides for children's and a restaurant also available. Only families are allowed on Sundays.
Closed · opens 8 amRs 30
SeeScience museum
MagnifiScience Centre
Established in 2021, it's the country's first interactive science museum, with over 200 interactive exhibits to understand different science concepts such as architectural and cultural elements of Karachi, sources of food, constructions, modes of transportation, the human body, light, sound, illusions, mathematics, and physics, including renewable energy and telecommunication. In addition to the exhibition areas indoors, there is also a simulation of a mangrove ecosystem installed inside. In the centre’s auditorium, science-related documentaries are screened as well as science-related program and workshops are held on a regular basis, predominantly over weekends. The original property was a colonial warehouse building within the historic Railway Quarter. The outdoor area comprises the centre’s Science Garden, including a playground, a natural maze and many indigenous trees and plants. In front of the building are a few outdoor exhibits and games, there are two ponds featuring science-related-information about the organisms living within. Guided tours are available. The MSC has a shop and cafeteria.
09:00-17:00 weekdays, 10:00-19:30 on weekendsRs 1100 (week); Rs 1200 (weekend/holiday)
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Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Built in Gothic Revival style and opened in April 1881, it's the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi and can accommodate at least 1,500 worshippers at the same time. It's a protected monument because of its outstanding architectural beauty. The cathedral's grounds are adorned with a white marble monument to Christ the King.
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Mohatta Palace Museum
فریئر ہال
Another fine British Raj building, completed in 1928, but has an architectural resemblance to palaces in Rajasthan. It was built with pink stone from Jodhpur in combination with the local yellow stone from Karachi, creating a fusion of Rajput and Mughal architectures. The palace was built by an ambitious self-made businessman from Marwar as his luxurious summer home and then became the residence of Jinnah’s sister, Fatima, after he left Karachi for India in 1947. Now, it offers a diverse range of activities for both the casual and informed visitor.
Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00
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Chaukhandi Tombs
چوکنڈی
located on the outskirts of the main city though in a huge populated area. Built during the Mughal rule in between 15th to 18th century form an early Islamic cemetery, the tombs are scattered on a large area and is the only archaeological ruins site in Karachi. The tombs are remarkable for the elaborate and exquisite stone carving, a style unique to the region of Sindh, exquisitely carved in relief with intricate motifs. The site is listed as tentative site of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Each tomb is unique in design and motif, the most impressive tombs are the Peramidal structures. Tombs of men are carved with horses and weapons while women are decorated with jewelry. Rich carved sandstone depicting the relation of the local tribes with the neighboring Iran, central Asia and Turkey.
SeeHistoric site
Empress Market
ایمپریس مارکیٹ
A famous marketplace dominated by a Gothic-Mughal-style clock-tower of the colonial era, situated in Saddar, which is one of the most congested and busiest areas of Karachi. The market is one of the most important landmarks of the city and traces its origins to the British Raj era, when it was constructed in 1889 and named "Empress Market" to commemorate Queen Victoria, the Empress of India during the late 19th century. The building was constructed as a marketplace to cater for the European elites who were either living in or frequently visiting Karachi at that time. Today, it is amongst the most popular, oldest and busiest places for shopping in Karachi and one of the few historical spots of the city. The building was arranged around a courtyard, 130 ft by 100 ft, with four galleries each 46 ft wide and those four galleries provide accommodation for some 280 shops and stall keepers. Commodities sold in the Empress Market range from condiments, footwear, fruit, vegetables and meat to stationery materials, textiles and has numerous pet shops.
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Holy Trinity Cathedral
Built in 1855 to a design by Captain John Hill of the Bombay Engineers. One of the first major churches of Karachi and the seat of the Church of Pakistan, Diocese of Karachi. Its tall tower was also a light house built to facilitate ships arriving into Karachi Harbour.
SeeHistoric site
Jehangir Kothari Parade
now a beautiful monument used to be a promenade, built in 1919 by prominent philanthropists and businessmen of that time, provides spectacular view of giant Bin Qasim park.
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Karachi Municipal Corporation Building
KMC Building
One of the historical British Raj buildings, has evolved an iconic status as one of the landmark structures of Karachi. This Anglo-Mughal architecture building was built in 1930 with local sandstone from Gizri and Jodhpur red sandstone at the front and is said to be the crown jewel of colonial era architecture in the city. The clock tower was made to honour and commemorate the visit of King George V, the Emperor of India of that time. Today the building houses the offices and various departments of the Karachi Municipal Corporation.
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I. I. Chundrigar Rd
This wide and long yet congested street is the largest financial district of Karachi and is the centre of Karachi's banking and financial institutions, often termed as the "Wall Street of Pakistan" and is widely known as main business street of Karachi as most of the headquarters of Pakistan's financial institutions are located here. The road starts from the Merewether Memorial Tower and extends up to Shaheen complex, preserving some of the finest private architecture from Karachi's early period. Merewether Clock Tower is a 35 m high tower and carries a clock with four faces. It was constructed in 1892 in the memory of Commissioner of the Sindh at that time. The design of the tower is in the Gothic Revival style popular in Victorian England, and it was designed to evoke the architecture of Medieval England. The structure is built in buff coloured Gizri stone and shows a heightened sensitivity to detailing and emphasis on carving and decoration. The head office of Habib Bank Limited was the tallest building in South Asia for more than a decade until the 156 m tall World Trade Centre building was built in Mumbai in 1970. This 101 m high rise building with 23 floors was built in 1963, has marvellous architecture and is one of the most recognizable landmarks of the city. Other famous monuments to be seen are Former Lloyds Bank building, Karachi Stock Exchange and many banks that are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city.
SeeMuseum
State Bank Museum
Focuses on money, coinage and economic. This is the only currency museum of Pakistan that displays the financial history of the nation dating back to when Pakistan was part of the British Raj. The exhibition hall comprise of seven Galleries.
Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00Free
SeeHistoric site
Quaid-e-Azam's Mausoleum and Museum
Mazar-e-Quaid) (مزار قائد
The final resting place and magnificent mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (known as Quaid-e-Azam or "Great Leader"), is a prominent impressive landmark of Karachi made entirely of white marble with impressive north African arches. The mighty mausoleum was completed in the 1960s and designed by Mumbai based, Indian architect Yahya Merchant. The tomb is fabulously built on a 4 m high platform made of white marble with curved Moorish arches, copper grilles and a four-tiered crystal chandelier gifted by the people of China. Fifteen successive fountains lead to the platform from one side and, from all sides, terraced avenues lead to the gates. In the interior of the grave complex, there are three graves in a row and one to the north. The northern one, which is decorated with a series of black floral designs at the base, belongs to Fatima Jinnah, Jinnah's sister. Out of the three graves, the northern one belongs to Liaquat Ali Khan, who died as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The extreme southern grave belongs to Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar. In the middle lies buried Nurul Amin, who rose to be the Vice-President of Pakistan. All these graves are made of Italian white marble, and they are of the box type, like the sarcophagus of Jinnah, placed on a triple base. But the sides of these graves are tapering inward while that of Jinnah is diverging outwards. These are all plain graves, except that of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, which has a basal floral ornamentation. Official and military ceremonies take place here on special occasions, especially on 23 March, 14 August, 11 September and 25 December. Dignitaries and officials from foreign countries also visit this place. Around the mausoleum is a 53 hectare park "Bagh-e-Quaid-i-Azam" laid in the format of Islamic art, with fountains all around it, fitted with spot-lights which project light on the white mausoleum and making the glowing tomb able to be seen for miles at night. The tomb is guarded at all times and af
Eat
Lal Qila
A theme restaurant built in the style of a 17th-century Moghul fort. Offering Pakistani cuisine such as Barbecue, biryani, and a local beef-based delicacy, haleem, in its open brick courtyard. Very busy on weekends. Buffet dinner costs per person around Rs 1,300, lunch costs Rs 750.
Buy
Zebunissa Street
It is one of Karachi's most renowned shopping area and one of the city's most vital arteries which used to be called as 'Karachi's Piccadilly Circus' by British tourists, as it is lined with historic colonial buildings from the British Raj era. It is now home to Karachi's biggest high end shoe shops such as Metro, Sputnik, English Boot House together with Gold Souks and other retails shops. It also houses one of Karachi's largest Atrium Malls.
Eat Not mapped
Burns Road
Burns Road is a historic traditional and bustling food street which offers a huge variety of local food and drinks. For authentic and traditional food of any budget this is the place to be. The street house countless famous and unique eateries that feature their own specialty dishes, crowded Burns Road is a must-see for curious eaters and food-lovers. The best tasting Nihari, Sajji, Bottis and Tikkas can be found in this congested corner of Old Karachi. Most of the restaurants here are built in really old pre-independence era Victorian style buildings which sort of gives you the feeling of being in a crowded part of Old Delhi. Hygienically this may not be the cleanest part of town, but if you are a big time foodie and you really want to taste real Karachi food then seriously this is the place to head to. If food preparation hygiene is really an issue for you then the best option is to head to Food Centre. Places to head to here include Punjab Lassi house for the best Lassi in town, Food Center and Sabri Nihari. Other than these there are many more eateries scattered throughout this street. Most restaurants and eateries accept only cash. Many places on the street are open during the day but like Karachi itself, Burns Road truly comes alive at night.
SeeMemorial
Martyrs of Karsaz Monument
A bombing attack on a motorcade carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto occurred on 18 October 2007 in Karachi, Pakistan. The bombing occurred two months before she was assassinated.
SeeMonument
Christ the King
The Monument to Christ the King is a white marble structure in the grounds of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi, Pakistan.
SeeAttraction
Arshad Wali Muhammad
A-1 7th Central Street
Open now · open 24 hours
SeeMonument
Quaid-e-Azam Archives
Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road Karachi
SeeMonument
Merewether Clock Tower
Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road
SeeMemorial
Teen Talwar
Khayban e Iqbal
SeeMonument
Char Minar Chowrangi
5 Bahadur Shah Zafar Road
SeeMonument
Do Talwar
109 Street 2
SeeMonument
cheel chowk
lyari
SeeHistory museum
Sindh Police Museum
V29C+JP3 , Garden Rd, Gazdarabad Police Head Quarters,
SeeMonument
St. Joseph's Home - Maryville Home for Seniors, Aged
Afshan Apartment
SeeMonument
A-Net
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A.K Martial Arts Academy
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AA Plastic 3D Sign - Signage - ACRYLIC SIGN & STEEL SIGN
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AB Enterprises
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AMKA IMPEX
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ARY Network CHACKING Location
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Abdul Majid & Sons Foundry works (Pasha Bhai)
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Aero Packages
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Ahmad Khan

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Karachi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps. Some descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).