Empress Market

The Empress Market (Urdu: ایمپریس مارکیٹ‎, Sindhi: ايمپريس مارڪيٽ) is a marketplace situated in the Saddar Town locality of Karachi, Pakistan. The market traces its origins to the British Raj era, when it was first constructed. Today, it is amongst the most popular and busy places for shopping in Karachi. Commodities sold in the Empress Market range from condiments, fruit, vegetables and meat to stationery material, textiles and pets.

History

The Empress Market was constructed between 1884 and 1889 and was named to commemorate Queen Victoria, Empress of India. The market was constructed at a well-chosen site that was clearly visible from a great distance. The site of the market had historical significance as it was situated on the grounds where a number of native sepoys were executed in a ruthless fashion after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Accounts mention that the sepoys had their heads blown off by cannonballs in an attempt to suppress any mutinous feelings among the locals. The British fearing that the local population will build a monument to honor the executed sepoys instead built the Empress Market to commemorate Queen Victoria.

The foundation stone of the Empress Market was laid by the-then Governor of Bombay, James Fergusson in 1884, who also laid the foundation of the Merewether Memorial Tower. It was designed by James Strachan (architect), the foundations were completed by the English firm of A.J. Attfield, and the building was constructed by the local firm of ‘Mahoomed Niwan and Dulloo Khejoo’. The building was arranged around a courtyard, 130 ft by 100 ft, with four galleries each 46 ft wide. The galleries provided accommodation for 280 shops and stall keepers; at the time of ist construction it was one of only seven markets in Karachi.

A recreational park called Jahangir Park also is located nearby. In 2017, according to the reports in the news media, Karachi citizens' hopes for seeing a badly needed renovation and repair job on this British Raj building were fading away. The previous Governor of Sindh also had ordered the building's renovation when he was in office, but they never materialized.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Empress Market" and modified on 23 July 2019 under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.