Formerly known as Kolachi and initially a tiny fishing village, Karachi progressively grew into a small but significant business nucleus. Conquered by the British in 1839 , the city was annexed into the British Empire three years later; Karachi's first harbour and railroad were constructed soon after.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees from India settled in Karachi following the 1947 partition of the subcontinent, many of whom set up industries and businesses in the area. The city continued to flourish commercially and was the capital of the newly created state until 1958.
The metropolis has a handful of museums such as the Mohatta Palace Museum, Maritime Museum and National Museum of Pakistan, all of which regularly hold exhibitions. Wazir Mansion, the residence of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah (who is reverently called Quaid-e-Azam by Pakistanis) is also located in the city.
Following Jinnah's death in 1948, the mansion was converted into a museum and the white, dome-shaped Quaid-e-Azam Mausoleum was built in his honour. Both are still highly esteemed by locals and visitors. From a relatively thinly populated coastal city at the time of sub-continent partition, Karachi has developed into a vital metropolis and the financial capital of Pakistan. Sir Charles Napier was right to say: "One day it shall be the Queen of the East".
