Karachi was founded as "Kolachi" by Baloch tribes from Balochistan and Makran who established a small fishing community in the area . Descendants of the original community still live in the area on the small island of Abdullah Goth, which is located near the Karachi Port. The original name "Kolachi" also survives in the name of a well-known Karachi locality named "Mai Kolachi."
The city remained a small fishing village until the British seized control of the offshore and strategically located island of Manora. Thereafter, authorities of the British Raj embarked on a large-scale modernization of the city in the 19th century with the intention of establishing a major and modern port which could serve as a gateway to Punjab, the western parts of British India, and Afghanistan. Britain's competition with imperial Russia during the Great Game also heightened the need for a modern port near Central Asia, and so Karachi prospered as a major centre of commerce and industry during the Raj, attracting communities of: Africans, Arabs, Armenians, Goan Catholics, Jews (both Sephardic and Ashkenazi), Lebanese Christians, Malayans, and Zoroastrians - in addition to the large number of British businessmen and colonial administrators who established the city's poshest locales, such as Clifton.
British colonialists embarked on a number of public works of sanitation and transportation - such as gravel paved streets, proper drains, street sweepers, and a network of trams and horse-drawn trolleys. Colonial administrators also set up military camps, a European inhabited quarter, and organized marketplaces, of which the Empress Markets are most notable. The city's wealthy elite also endowed the city with a large number of grand edifices, such as the elaborately decorated buildings that house social clubs, known as 'Gymkhanas.' Wealthy businessmen also funded the construction of the Kothwari Parade (a large seaside promenade) and the Frere Hall, in addition to the cinemas, and gambling parlours which dotted the city.
Karachi witnessed relatively few events associated with the Indian movement for independence. Perhaps because of effective colonial administration, the city witnessed only few outbursts of anti-British sentiment in the city, unlike most other major cities in British India, which were often the scene of violence and widespread "civil disobedience." As the movement for Indian independence almost reached its conclusion, the city suffered widespread outbreaks of communal violence between Muslims and Hindus. In response to the perceived threat of Hindu domination, in combination with Sindhi Muslim resentment towards wealthy Sindi Hindus, the province of Sindh became the first province of British India to pass the Pakistan Resolution, in favour of the creation of the Pakistani state. The ensuing turmoil of Partition lead to the expulsion of most of Karachi's wealthy Hindu community. While many poorer Hindus, Christians, and wealthy Zoroastrians remained in the city, Karachi's native Sindhi Hindu community was almost entirely uprooted, and replaced by migrants from India seeking refuge from the anti-Muslim pogroms which were taking place there.
The city remained a small fishing village until the British seized control of the offshore and strategically located island of Manora. Thereafter, authorities of the British Raj embarked on a large-scale modernization of the city in the 19th century with the intention of establishing a major and modern port which could serve as a gateway to Punjab, the western parts of British India, and Afghanistan. Britain's competition with imperial Russia during the Great Game also heightened the need for a modern port near Central Asia, and so Karachi prospered as a major centre of commerce and industry during the Raj, attracting communities of: Africans, Arabs, Armenians, Goan Catholics, Jews (both Sephardic and Ashkenazi), Lebanese Christians, Malayans, and Zoroastrians - in addition to the large number of British businessmen and colonial administrators who established the city's poshest locales, such as Clifton.
British colonialists embarked on a number of public works of sanitation and transportation - such as gravel paved streets, proper drains, street sweepers, and a network of trams and horse-drawn trolleys. Colonial administrators also set up military camps, a European inhabited quarter, and organized marketplaces, of which the Empress Markets are most notable. The city's wealthy elite also endowed the city with a large number of grand edifices, such as the elaborately decorated buildings that house social clubs, known as 'Gymkhanas.' Wealthy businessmen also funded the construction of the Kothwari Parade (a large seaside promenade) and the Frere Hall, in addition to the cinemas, and gambling parlours which dotted the city.
Karachi witnessed relatively few events associated with the Indian movement for independence. Perhaps because of effective colonial administration, the city witnessed only few outbursts of anti-British sentiment in the city, unlike most other major cities in British India, which were often the scene of violence and widespread "civil disobedience." As the movement for Indian independence almost reached its conclusion, the city suffered widespread outbreaks of communal violence between Muslims and Hindus. In response to the perceived threat of Hindu domination, in combination with Sindhi Muslim resentment towards wealthy Sindi Hindus, the province of Sindh became the first province of British India to pass the Pakistan Resolution, in favour of the creation of the Pakistani state. The ensuing turmoil of Partition lead to the expulsion of most of Karachi's wealthy Hindu community. While many poorer Hindus, Christians, and wealthy Zoroastrians remained in the city, Karachi's native Sindhi Hindu community was almost entirely uprooted, and replaced by migrants from India seeking refuge from the anti-Muslim pogroms which were taking place there.
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