Empress Market
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Empress Market ایمپریس مارکیٹ | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of Empress Market ایمپریس مارکیٹ | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Sindh |
| City | Karachi |
| Town | Saddar Town |
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.[1] 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. A recreational park called Jahangir Park also is located nearby.
The Empress Market was constructed between 1884 and 1889 and was named for Victoria, Empress of India.[2] The market was constructed at a well-chosen site that was clearly visible from a great distance, and prevented the erection of a monument to honour the sepoys executed there after the failed 1857 uprising against British rule.[3]
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 its construction it was one of only seven markets in Karachi.[4]
Empress Market is a grand structure in the Indo-Gothic style having vaulted roofs, cusped arches, a 140-foot-high clock tower studded with leopard heads.[5]
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.[2]
Originally, Empress Market had 280 shops and stalls inside the building. In the year 1954, the KMC increased the number to 405 shops and stalls and also built an additional 1,390 shops and cabins on outside the building.[6]
Illegal Sales
Empress market is one of the places in Karachi where exotic and endangered species like Macaw, Falcons and other birds are sold without any approved license. On 24 August 2015, up to 50 protected birds and a pair of monkey were brought to sell in Empress, when a raid by wildlife department caught the people who brought the animals. The confiscated birds consisted of 20 Chukar partridge, 18 wild doves, eight black partridges, four grey partridges and two flamingoes.[7]
