Karachi Landmarks – The Duarte Mansion

Majestic but embracing slow painful death. Duarte Mansion’s grandeur is marginalized by dirt, broken windows, wires and illegal construction around.

Duarte Mansion is a proud contribution of small but cultured Goan community living in Karachi for decades. It was not only a landmark of magnificence of Victorian era architecture but also of the diversity and pluralism ever present in the city of lights. Located at lucky star Saddar, It has been standing proudly for last 90 years. Govt. did protect it under Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act but has not backed it with requisite funding. The whole structure has decayed from inside. Only facade has survived. But for how long. A lot of builders must be eyeing the site and would be praying the rest of it to fall.

The street on which Duarte Mansion is situated is full of similar structures (sorry stories). A lot needs to be done to revive the elegance we have lost here.