Khaliq Dina Hall ( ur, ), also spelled Khaliq Deena Hall, is a library and hall located in
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 c ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. The building was built in 1906, and was after Ghulam Hoosain Khalikdina - a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who was the main financier for the building, and who wished for Karachi's Muslims to have a space for literary pursuits. It currently has a hall which is used for various events, a library, and a room that serves as the office of a local NGO.
History
Khaliq Dina Hall and Library was built in 1906, although Khaliqdina's library foundation was established in 1856 as the Native General Library. The building was named after local philanthropist and merchant Ghulam Hussain Khaliqdina, who was instrumental in the establishment of the
Sindh Madressatul Islam. Khaliqdina was raised in the
Khoja
The Khojas ( sd}; gu, ખોજા, hi, ख़ोजा) are a mainly Nizari Isma'ili Shia community of people originating in Gujarat, India.
Derived from the Persian Khwaja, a term of honor, the word Khoja is used to refer to Lohana Rajp ...
tradition of
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
, but was condemned by the
Aga Khan for his involvement with the
Twelver
Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
branch of Shia Islam, leading him to renounce the Khoja tradition and eventually become a Twelver himself.
In 1902, Khaliqdina donated 18,000 rupees out of the total cost of 33,000 rupees towards construction of the building, while the remaining 15,000 rupees were provided by the
Karachi Municipal Corporation
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation () is a public corporation and governing body to provide municipal services in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan.
History
1852
Karachi Conservancy Board was established to control cholera epidemics in Kara ...
. Khaliq Dina Hall was used as the court for the 1921 "Trial of Sedition" in which British authorities put
Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana
Mohammad Ali Jouhar on trial for
mutiny as they made speeches in support of the
Khilafat Movement.
[Hallmark of history - Khaliq Deena Hall](_blank)
Dawn (newspaper), Published 20 September 2009, Retrieved 13 September 2017
On 20 February 1949, the first session of the
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League ( ur, ; known as PML), is the name of several different Pakistani political parties that have dominated the right-wing platform in the country.
The Muslim League (a different party) was the party of Pakistan’ ...
Council was held in the hall, and was attended by
Pakistan's
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
first Prime Minister,
Liaquat Ali Khan
Liaquat Ali Khan ( ur, ; 1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951), also referred to in Pakistan as ''Quaid-e-Millat'' () or ''Shaheed-e-Millat'' ( ur, lit=Martyr of the Nation, label=none, ), was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer, political theoris ...
. The hall was also used after Pakistan's independence as a site for
Majlis during the last ten days of
Muharram
Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after ...
, which were addressed by the eminent Islamic scholars
Allama Rasheed Turabi, Allama Aqeel Turabi and Dr. Kalbe Sadiq
In 1970,
Dada Amir Haider Khan, a
Communist activist, gave a speech in the hall.
The hall was also used the Pakistan's
leftist National Students Federation as a site for their meetings.
In 1994, the original roof of the building collapsed in a heavy rainstorm.
Architecture
The hall was designed in a
Palladian style
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
,
by the
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
-born Iraqi-Jewish architect
Moses Somake. Its most notable feature is the 10 foot wide veranda and triangular
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
supported by 12 Greek-style
Ionic pillars at the front,
which makes the building resemble an ancient Greek temple. The pediment is inscribed with the name of the building, and date of construction - Ghulam Hoosain Khalikdina Hall and Library 1906.
The building's exterior measures 525 by 325 feet, while the interior hall is 95 feet in length and 45 feet wide.
The interior ceiling height is 30 feet. The main hall can seat approximately 600 persons.
The original pitched roof was made of
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...
wood, which collapsed in a heavy rainstorm in 1994.
Conservation
The hall was renovated in 1959 before an address there by
President Ayub Khan. Restoration of the collapsed roof began in 1996.
It was again restored in 2002 by the
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation () is a public corporation and governing body to provide municipal services in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan.
History
1852
Karachi Conservancy Board was established to control cholera epidemics in Kara ...
at a cost of Rupees 15 million.
[The past is another story...](_blank)
Dawn (newspaper), Published 22 December 2008, Retrieved 13 September 2017 This building is now protected as a Cultural Heritage Sites of
Sindh.
See also
*
List of cultural heritage sites in Sindh (A detailed list with pictures)
References
External links
Khalikdina Hall Librarya listing of libraries fro
maintained by PLANWEL
Buildings and structures in Karachi
Libraries in Karachi
Heritage sites in Karachi
Monuments and memorials in Pakistan
{{SAsia-hist-stub