Kharadar 4.56

Kharadar is one of the neighbourhoods of Saddar Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Kharadar and the adjacent community of Mithadar together form what is regarded as the original core of Karachi.EtymologyKharadar literally means Brackish Gate in both Sindhi and Urdu.LocationKharadar is located in central Karachi, near the Port of Karachi. Together with the adjacent community of Mithadar, it forms what is regarded as the original core of Karachi, when the city was known as "Kalachi Jo Goath." The combined area of the two is approximately 35 square kilometers.HistoryThe neighbourhood was named after one of two gates to the old city of Karachi built in 1729 - the other being Mitha Dar or "Sweet Gate," (referring to the potable, fresh water of the Lyari River) which is now the name of the neighborhood adjacent to the northern edge of Kharadar. Both gates were torn down in 1860 after the British conquered Sindh 13 years earlier.EconomyKharadar, along with Mithadar, is a center for Karachi's textile industry, with several garment factories and wholesalers located in the adjacent Bolton Markets, as well as numerous textile markets along Laxmi Das Street. Kharadar has also been home to a Muslim South Indian community since the 1890s - a legacy reflected in the name of the nearby market, the Cochinwala Markets named after residents of the city of Cochin in South India.