COUNT yourself ignorant vis-a-vis Karachi if you do not know where Eidgah Cloth Market is. It is in the heart of the old city. ‘Heart’ means the centre of vintage Karachi as well as the point from where almost all the historic precincts can be approached even with navigational shortcomings. Eidgah Cloth Market (Jama Cloth Market to some) does not only have reasonably priced pieces of cloth, the knickknacks, the wall clocks, the plastic bowls and many such items are not much pricey either. Hence it is a popular bazaar, particularly among the middleclass segments of society.

The market does not cover a vast area. If you mark it from where Mohammad Bin Qasim Road ends and meets M.A. Jinnah Road (formerly Bunder Road) till the point from where Allahwala Market begins, it is no more than 300 yards. If you walk along the Eidgah Cloth Market, you will be treated to a variety of stalls and shops. Stalls are chiefly set up near or on the pavement, a little away from the main road, while the shops are positioned inside the marketplace which is, for sure, a post-partition construction. There are, in total, only three old buildings that stand on either side of the bazaar. One on its left, right in the corner of Mohammad Bin Qasim Road, and two on extreme right. These buildings are different from each other. It basically implies that they must have been built in different time periods. It is unsure if there were any more structures built way before the establishment of Eidgah Cloth Market and were razed to the ground to make room for the bazaar. Given its placement, it is not unlikely, though.

Before we discuss the three buildings, let’s talk about what goes on around the marketplace on a regular basis, for it might not be totally unrelated to the structures that are the centrepiece of this column.

As this writer looks eagerly at one of the buildings an old man comes and inquires why it is being perused. Upon knowing that the study is to do with old Karachi and its architectural heritage, he unleashes a barrage of angry words: “No one cares about human lives leave alone buildings. I’ve lived in this neighbourhood all my life and this used to be as clean a place as it can be. It is in the last two or three decades that they began dirtying it. All has changed before my eyes. Nothing can be done now. You are wasting your time.”The old man has a point. Someone who was listening to his tirade gestured to this writer as if the octogenarian was off his rocker. This is not the case. The old man is spot on. It is human hands that made these buildings. Unless those hands are not given the respect they deserve, it is an exercise in futility to talk about anything else. Alas, journalists are a helpless lot. They must do what they are supposed to do. So, the buildings… If you are on M.A. Jinnah Road and moving towards Laxmi Building, the first work of architecture that you notice near Eidgah Cloth Market is Farzana Mansion. Compared to a majority of buildings on M.A. Jinnah Road it is not an old structure. It may have been constructed a little before the division of the subcontinent. This can be gauged from its facade which does not have a stony, as it were, feel to it. Only by looking at its right bare side, because there is no adjoining building, that you get the idea how profusely stone is used in its making.

The second piece, on the right flank of the market is known as Gulshan Terrace. The name rings a contemporary bell. It is more or less similar to Farzana Mansion, probably a tad younger. As far as the names of both the structures are concerned, you have to take them with a pinch of salt.

The third building, in the corner, is a lovely sight to behold, despite the many changes (including glass windows) and despite the presence of a bank on the ground floor. A salesman, who is too frail to speak loudly, claims it’s Soonka Mansion, or something similar sounding. The building was definitely erected in the first quarter of the 20th century, if not before that, since many of its classical features are still unharmed. What adds to the beauty of this piece of stonemasonry is an aged peepal tree, sheltering whoever tries to seek comfort in its shade to avoid the blazing Karachi sun.

Architect Noman Ahmed says: “Originally was a polygonal bazaar here. I think it was called Lambert Market. It was destroyed during some kind of a riot that broke out in the city. Eidgah Market was developed after the Partition. The buildings that do not gel with the one old piece were part of a cluster which was built later.”

To some socialist friends noted American business tycoon and philanthropist George Soros is not someone who can be readily quoted to support an idea. How can you disagree with him when he says “there’s a lot of merit in global markets but they’re not sufficient because markets don’t look after social needs”? Looking after buildings is a socio-cultural need.

mohammad.salman@dawn.com