Saddar Bazaar Karachi
Saddar also known as Saddar Bazaar, is a neighbourhood in Karachi, Pakistan.
It is the main bazaar (Market Place) of Karachi. The locality was developed as the primary commercial district during the period of British-era rule in Karachi. As a result, Saddar contains the large concentration of colonial-era architecture in Karachi.
Saddar was established by the British in 1839 as a commercial district for Karachi’s European population, to the east of the bazaars of old Karachi. Saddar’s commercial markets mainly serve only lower and lower-middle classes. The area remains a large commuter hub, and so hawker stalls began encroaching on sidewalks in order to cater to the growing number of commuters.
A large multiplex cinema was established in the early 2000s, leading to a small wave of gentrification in the area. In 2019, in an effort to “clean up” the Empress Market, all stalls outside of the market which had been established in the plaza around the market were demolished in a controversial move.