Empress Market: Fading crown among Saddar’s jewels
By Frayan Doctor
30 April 2016
SADDAR TOWN, KARACHI: “If there is one public space in Karachi that needs urgent care by the government, it is Empress Market,” said a dismayed Yezdiyar. His words echoed the feelings of thousands who are concerned that the iconic colonial market in Saddar Town is hanging by a thread, ready to snap at any moment.The utter disregard of traffic laws in the country, from the running of red traffic lights, to turning without signaling and breaking the speed limit, Pakistanis have added a new entry to the frightening list – that of driving while intoxicated.
“If things remain the way they are, then the whole building could collapse. All the shop owners are worried, which is why pool money for maintenance and upkeep, but it is not enough at all” Yezdiyar Sethna
A third-generation shop owner at the iconic market, 54-year- old Yezdiyar has experienced first hand the transformation of the glorious brown-stone architecture of the building, which is situated in the heart of Karachi and attracts thousands of shoppers and visitors a day. Owner of one of the most popular stores in the market, the father of two is concerned that decades of neglect and apathy by the city government has led to irreversible damage to both the exterior and interior of the building. “If things remain the way they are, then the whole building could collapse. All the shop owners are worried about this, which is why pool money for maintenance and upkeep, but it is not enough at all.”
Built over five years between 1884 and 1889, Empress Market was a commemoration to the then Empress of India, Queen Victoria. It was designed and constructed to be visible from a distance, with a clock tower in the center being a meeting point for the four galleries of the market converging in the middle. Since the transformation of Karachi into its present urban sprawl, neither the market nor the tower is visible beyond a couple of hundred meters. This has as much to do with the haphazard and illegal urban planning and construction of buildings in Saddar, as the rampant smog and pollution from public and private vehicles motoring through the old part of Karachi. Add to it the illegal roadside occupation of street hawks and vendors, and a first-time visitor and young generation of today can be forgiven for not giving a second glance at the colonial-era architecture that dots Saddar.
The four galleries of the “Empress” – as it is affectionately known – are made in a way so as to provide space for 280 shops. It is constructed around a courtyard, where the shops do their business, and is designed as a symmetrical structure, making it more spacious.
Besides being an iconic and heritage building, the market attracts thousands of shoppers a day from every nook and cranny of Karachi. Its narrow and congested aisles host all kinds of commodities: from fruits and vegetables, to meat and poultry, fish, textiles. It is famous for its pet shops that sell various species of birds and other animals. The market bustles with activity throughout the working day. People have to scream on top of each other and push and shove their way from one shop to another.
The decay of the Empress accelerated in the aftermath of the fire that ravaged the market on March 27, 2011. Around 70 shops were burnt to the ground and a further 107 shops were affected, leaving many shopkeepers and traders without an income till today. As the inevitable blame game ensued, the government promised compensation and renovation of the market, something that has still not been fulfilled. The cause of the fire still has not been determined, while the structure is in a precarious state.
