EFU BUILDING, formerly known as QAMAR HOUSE, is designed in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

architectural style, by Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani in 1945 and was built on

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road (), frequently abbreviated as MA Jinnah Road, is a major thoroughfare in central Karachi, Pakistan. The road was originally named Bandar Road ( ;''"Port Road"''), owing to the fact that it linked the city to the Port of ...

in central

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

between 1946 and 1955 by Qamardin & Co. It was the tallest building in Karachi until the construction of the

Habib Bank Plaza Habib Bank Plaza (), also known as HBL Plaza, located on I. I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, is the head office of Habib Bank Limited. It was once the tallest building in Asia, a title that hasn't been held by any other building in ...

building in 1968, of the AKFED (Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development).

Location

Qamar House was built on

across from the Karachi Port Trust Building erected in colonial prepartition times, and in the vicinity of the

Merewether Clock Tower Merewether Clock Tower or Merewether Tower () Reprinted by Pakistan Herald Publications Ltd, Karachi Pg 62 is a neo-Gothic clocktower built during the Victorian era in Karachi, Pakistan. The tower is a landmark in central Karachi, and is at the te ...

another colonial preparation monument in Karachi.Profile of EFU House (Qamar House) on Heritage of Sindh website
Published in 2017, Retrieved 16 February 2018

Details

Qamar House was designed by Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani in 1945 in the

style, and was built in partnership with Qamardin Jaffer Valliani and both their brothers and partners Ahmedali Mahomed Hashwani and Tajdin Jaffer Valliani by their Partnership Qamardin & Others. It has 12 floors, and is 129 feet in height. While Qamar House was being built its recognition spread beyond Pakistan. On 5 July 1957

Aga Khan III Sultan Muhammad Shah (2 November 187711 July 1957), commonly known by his religious title Aga Khan III, was the 48th Imam of the Nizariyya. He played an important role in British Indian politics. Born to Aga Khan II in Karachi, Aga Khan III ...

appointed Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani as his Honorary Architect for Pakistan. His appointment for Pakistan was reaffirmed by Aga Khan IV succeeding his grandfather, when he appointed Qamardin as Honorary Architect for life for various projects throughout Pakistan.

Qamar House

From inception in 1948 till 2002 Qamar House was initially owned by four original partners of ''Qamardin & Others'': Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani 25%, Qamardin Jaffer Valliani 25%, Ahmed Ali Mahomed Hashwani 25%, Tajdin Jaffer Valliani 25%; subsequently, original four owners successively gifted of their 25% shares sub-fractionally to members within each of their nuclear families.

EFU

It was acquired by EFU in 2002 to be the head office for Eastern Federal Union, the largest insurance company in Pakistan. Afterwards, it was officially named EFU House.

References

External links

Map of Qamar House, also known as EFU Building

EFU Building or Qamar House in Karachi on YouTube
Towers in Karachi Office buildings in Karachi Art Deco architecture Buildings and structures in Karachi 1957 establishments in Pakistan {{Karachi-stub