Keamari (, ) is a neighbourhood in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Keamari was originally an independent settlement built on a sandy ridge on the eastern side of

Karachi Harbour Karachi Harbour is a narrow bay and river estuary located west of the Indus River Delta in Karachi, Pakistan. The harbour lies between the Lyari River delta and Chinna Creek to the north, and the Arabian Sea to the south. Since 1886, sections of t ...

History

Kemari was a low lying island located between

Manora Manora may refer to: * Manora, Karachi, in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan * Manora, Washim, a taluka in Washim district of Maharashtra, India * Manora Cantonment, in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan * Manora Fort, Karachi, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan * Manora Fort, ...

and the city of Karachi well into the colonial era. During this time, Keamari was the landing point for all goods and people entering Karachi. Kemari's anchorage during the early colonial era was too shallow for large ships, and so those were instead forced to dock at Manora. The 3-mile-long Napier Mole Road was built in 1854 as a raised embankment which connected Karachi with Keamari. A year earlier in 1853, the Napier obelisk was built to commemorate the late Governor of Sindh, Charles Napier. The British further built a spur of the Sindh Railway to Kemari, which did not follow Napier Mole, but instead along the east part of

Chinna Creek Chinna Creek () is a lagoon, within the municipal boundaries of Karachi, on the Arabian Sea coastline, located in the south-west region of Sindh, Pakistan. Covering an area of approximately 6 square kilometres, it extends approximately 5 kilome ...

. During the colonial era, Kemari had a naval yard, a government commissariat, post office, customs and railway houses. In 1865, the 1,200-foot-long iron

Napier Mole Bridge Native Jetty Bridge, also known as Napier Mole Bridge, is a bridge located in Karachi, Sindh which connects the city with the Port of Karachi. It is one of the oldest bridges in Karachi. History The modern port started its operations in 1854 du ...

was built as part of an upgrade. In 1914, the Sydenham Passenger Pavilion at Kemari's Boat Basin was inaugurated by

Lord Willingdon Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), styled as the Earl of Willingdon between 1931 and 1936, was a British people, British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician and administrator who served ...

. In 1917, the imposing Mules Mansion, designed by Iraqi-Jewish architect

Moses Somake Moses Somake ( – ) was a British architect known for designing several prominent buildings in British India. His works, built before the Partition of India and located in modern-day Pakistan, include the Edward House, BVS Parsi High School, Ka ...

, was completed.

Neighbourhoods

Most of the neighborhoods of the defunct Kemari Town are densely populated with two exceptions. Baba Bhit is composed of three small islands in Karachi harbour that are home to about 5% of the town's population. Further west, Gabo Pat is mostly rural with about 10% of the town population but half of the total town area. There are small villages in the rural area of Kiamari, including:

Sports

Kemari has many semi-professional football teams, including: * ''Kemari Mohammadan FC'' * ''Kemari Union FC'' * ''Society Brothers FC'' (formed 2010, dissolved 2014) * ''Mohammad Eleven FC'' * ''Ayaaz Eleven FC'' * ''Usman Shaheed FC'' (Shirin Jinnah Colony) * ''Northern Loon FC'' (formed 2014, present)

Gallery

File:Karachi map 1911.jpg, In 1911, Keamari was still an island File:Mules Mansion 02.jpg, Keamari's Mules Mansion built in 1917, was designed by Iraqi-Jewish architect

File:St. George Church, Keamari, Karachi, Sindh.jpg, St George's church dates from the colonial era File:Napier Mole Bridge to Keamari -Karachi in 1900-.jpg, The head of Napier Mole Bridge on the mainland File:Kemari.jpg, A view of Keamari Harbour File:THE SYDENHAM PASSENGER PAVILION -20th January 1913 at Keamari jetty.jpg, Sydenham Passenger Pavilion, inaugurated in 1914 File:Old Native Jetty Bridge.jpg, Native Jetty bridge in 1900

References

External links