Share Our Heritage with the World

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In the latter half of the 19th century, officials of the Public Works Department architected some key structures. The Cantonment Railway Station of Karachi was one of them. It was built in 1898 and is not a grand building. Having classical elements, its middle section has Renaissance entryways and Roman arches with a triangular pediment on top. Also noticeable are the two ends with Romanesque gables.

The Cantonment Railway Station represents the advent of the railways in Pakistan, with the Karachi-Kotri line being the first railway link in the country. Bartle Frere, who was the governor of Bombay, inaugurated it at the fag end of the 19th century. At the time it was not as big a station. The reason why the whole area around it is important with reference to heritage is because it tells us how the city of Karachi developed with the passage of time. It's part of our history, and a significant one at that.

The building is comparatively simple in design, but has good proportions. What needs to be done though is that the entire vicinity should be cleaned up. It's time we started the process of cleaning historical buildings. If there's pollution around any old structure, its stone will get affected. Not caring for the surroundings clearly points to the apathy and indifference not only towards a particular edifice but also towards the city. There's no reason for us to have filthy environment. We must develop ownership of the city.

[Source: Karachi Legacies of Empires by Peerzada Salman]

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