Many people believe that Karachi was a nondescript fishermen’s hamlet before the British took its control in 1839. This is contrary to the facts. Actually, Karachi has a history spanning over at least 2,500 years and it was a thriving business centre as well as a developed town before 1839.

However, it is a fact that, during the course of history, its names as well as their spellings have changed: Crochey, Krotchey Bay, Caranjee, Koratchey, Currachee, Kurrachee and, finally, Karachi, to mention just a few appellations.

The earliest mention about the town believed to be in place of present-day Karachi is with reference to Alexander’s navy staying here in 326 BC, while travelling from the Indus Delta to the Euphrates under the command of Alexander’s close friend, Admiral Nearchus. Dr William Vincent (1739-1815), Dean of Westminster, declared that Karachi — with its ancient name Krokala — was the “first harbour in the Indian Ocean in which a European navy ever rode.” He even mentioned the exact date of this stay, which was October 8, 326 BC.

Then, in the relatively recent past, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1689-1752) mentioned the “Kalachi jo Kun” meaning the “Whirlpool of Kalachi” in which lurked a sea monster that challenged the wit and courage of seafarers. He devoted one full Sur or chapter to this, under the name of Ghatoo, in his poetic collection Shah jo Risalo.

However, these sporadic references notwithstanding, most of Karachi’s history remains in the dark, till the late 18th century, when the British developed interest in the place. The basic reason for this interest was the location of the Karachi harbour in the extreme western fringes of the Subcontinent, which acquired importance in view of tensions with Persia, coupled with fears of Russian inroads towards their Indian empire through Afghanistan.

This interest on the part of the British translated into several exploratory visits to Karachi by British officers, mostly from 1799 to 1839, whose accounts shed light on the society and culture of Karachi as it existed before the advent of British rule in Sindh. An attempt has been made here to present a pen picture of the then Karachi, on the basis of information culled from these British accounts.

Contrary to the general perception of Karachi as a small fishing village before the advent of the British, the city has a rich and long history going back at least 2,500 years. Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh studies the accounts of some British travellers from 1799 to 1839 to paint a sketch of Karachi before the colonial era

The Town

Charles Mason, travelling in 1830, described that Karachi was surrounded by a mud wall having circular towers, which were equipped with cannons. He stated that the mud fort had “two gates on the opposite sides of east and west” with the principal street or bazaar of the town extending from one gate to the other. “The bazaar of Karachee is narrow and in many places covered to exclude heat. It is fairly supplied with shops, and in it are several reputable merchants and bankers,” he elaborates.

Most of the people lived within the town walls, but many underprivileged ones resided outside the compound. A peculiar feature of the houses here, like in the capital city of Hyderabad, was the presence of a particular type of wind-catcher installed on roofs, called Mangh. Describing the architecture, Captain Martin Neill stated that the “houses are generally mud-built and flat-roofed; on the top of them are wicker ventilators facing the sea, which perform the double duty of windsail and skylight.”

Karachi, in the 1830s, was surrounded by gardens with fruit trees and had wells of sweet water. “Gardens bordered the banks of the Lyaree [Lyari River] for upwards of a mile... The trees were chiefly mangoes, with a few tamarinds, and the fruit of the former is said to be better than the common mango of India, although inferior to that of Bombay,” stated one such account.

Many British officers highlighted the scarcity of fresh water and complained about Karachi’s brackish water. But Brigadier Valiant presented a different view, writing that there were “a great number of wells, with abundance of excellent water for all purposes, many of them in gardens.” He also highlighted that the subsoil water was available at the depth of just 10 to 12 feet.

“On this point, we have been most agreeably surprised as we had been informed that the water was bad at Karachi,” he exclaimed. One can presume that the brigadier might have been in Karachi after the rains, when the aquifers stood recharged.

The People

Discussing the population of the town in his treatise on Karachi presented in 1838, Commander Carless noted that there were about “14,000 souls, half of which are Hindoos, and the rest Belochees, Jokeeahs, Mowanas, and Jutts [sic].” Mowana or mohana is Sindhi for fisherman and boatman while Jutt is used for camel rider. Karachi, being at the junction of sea and land trade routes, had high demand for both professions.

The Hindus of Karachi comprised the wealthier classes and had highly developed business networks in most major trade centres in Central Asia and Middle East, in addition to the Subcontinent.

“These merchants had agencies in almost all the neighbouring trading centres of any importance, as for instance Muscat, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Mooltan, &c,” noted Alexander Baillie. As a wealthy community, the Hindus enjoyed great influence in entire Sindh. However, Hindus did not trust the Muslim rulers of Sindh and preferred to keep their wealth in foreign lands.

Karachi was a thriving centre of slave trade and slavery was an institution. Most of the slaves came to Karachi from Muscat, through boats operated by the Arab traders. While Karachi exported coarse cloth, it got in return slaves of African origin, called Sheedis locally.  

They “kept their money spread over a wide area, so that in the event of any heavy impositions being laid upon them by the despotic governors of the town, they could move away with facility, and without sustaining serious losses,” Ballie continued.

In this society, Muslims made up the middle and lower classes. They were either in government service or earned their livelihood through menial works. Commander Carless highlighted an interesting aspect that, while Muslims of Karachi loathed the idea of a British takeover of Sindh, the Hindus had no qualms. Explaining Muslim animosity towards Europeans, Carless opined that the “feeling of hatred that animates them is not personal to the British — it is general towards all the world that offers any obstacle to the propagation of the ‘true faith’.”

Karachi constituted a religiously tolerant society. It was dotted with places of worship for both Muslims and Hindus. In 1938, Muslims had 21 mosques and 13 mausoleums of pirs, while Hindus had an exactly equal number of temples, dharmshalas and other revered places. Though tolerant of other religions, both the communities kept their distinct identities. For instance, while Muslims sported beards, Hindus preferred mustaches with clean shaven cheeks. The same was the case in terms of the dress code as well, where they maintained the differences.

Slavery and slave trade

Karachi was a thriving centre of slave trade and slavery was an institution. Most of the slaves came to Karachi from Muscat, through boats operated by the Arab traders. While Karachi exported coarse cloth, it got in return slaves of African origin, called Sheedis locally. According to Baillie, “Not only were many slaves kept in the town, but Kurrachee was a great depot for supplying the up-country districts.” Almost 75 percent of the slaves imported in Karachi were females.

The price of slaves of African origin in Karachi ranged from Rs60 to Rs100, depending on their strength and appearance. The preference was usually for “quite young children” as it was feared that grown-up slaves would run away. The Sheedi boys were noted for their intelligence and strength and were purchased by Karachi’s fishermen community, who appreciated their skills in sailing. The slaves were usually married to fellow slaves of the same owner, as marriage between slaves of different masters could create conflicts of interests.

A better class of slaves was those coming from Abyssinia. They were called Hubshees and fetched much better prices in the market, ranging from Rs170 to Rs250. Among them, female slaves were quite high in demand; they were purchased only by the men of higher ranks. The owner had the right to marry his female slave and the offspring from this union were called Guddos, who were also considered slaves, as an extension of their mother. The next generation of children from marriage between “a Guddo and a Sindee [Sindhi] father was called Kambrani,” noted Baillie.

The government collected taxes on the slave trade, which constituted an important source of government revenue. In the closing years of the Mirs rule, while the British had already closed their ports for slave trade, the number of slaves arriving at Karachi increased considerably. “Not less than 1,500 slaves arrived at Karachi from Muscat and the African coast in the year 1837,” noted Commander Carless.

One aspect of slavery here was that the slaves were treated at par with the other members of household. Notwithstanding the great cruelty of tearing these little children from their families in their young age by slave traders, who were mostly Arabs, Baillie observed: “In their new homes [in Karachi] they do not appear to have suffered any ill treatment. In fact, it was [in] the interest of the master to treat his slaves kindly, in a place where many opportunities were offered for desertion.”

Political Administration

Karachi was under the administrative control of two governors appointed by the Mirs of Hyderabad. One looked after military matters, while the other was responsible for civil administration and was called Nawab. The governor had a great deal of authority over his subjects and the territory, excluding the award of capital punishment. The people had a right of appeal before the Mirs’ Court at Hyderabad, where prompt action was taken on complaints.

Captain Hart has mentioned an incident when Nawab Syed Ghulam Shah forcibly converted a Hindu boy to Islam. The Hindus of Karachi forwarded an appeal against this high-handedness and closed their businesses in protest. The Mirs immediately took notice of this and removed the governor forthwith. In another incident, another Nawab of Karachi ill-treated some low-caste Hindu. When the matter reached the notice of Hyderabad court, the Nawab was reprimanded in very strong terms and then had to remove the cause of grievance.

Karachi’s long and splendid history extends far beyond the advent of the British era in Sindh. But unfortunately, it has not received due attention on part of the scholars as well the government. There is a need to explore deeper the roots of this great megapolis.

The writer is former Vice-Chancellor of Sindh Madressatul Islam University and a former faculty-fellow at American University, Washington DC. He can be reached at drshaikhma@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 22nd, 2021