ALL over the world, heritage is usually considered to be a building. In Karachi, it is normally a 19th- or early 20th-century structure. Its age is determined by the mortar that is used in its structure. If it is lime mortar, then it is late 19th-century and if it is cement mortar then its post 1910. It is almost always a stone building and that too Gizri stone. If it is an important building, then parts of it maybe embellished with pink Rajasthani stone and perhaps some of its cornices and other details may be of Rajasthani stone as well.

The Gizri stone was used for most of the construction that was undertaken in Karachi for over 200 years. It was extracted from the Gizri and Jheel Park quarries. The Gizri quarries are located near Khadda Market in Defence. The Gizri quarriers lived in the Gizri village. They still do but quarry no more. The Jheel Park quarriers lived on Hill Park but were shifted by the government towards Baloch Colony and they too quarry no more. Quarrying and dressing stone has become a very expensive process and so stone is no longer used for construction in Karachi. Instead, concrete blocks have replaced it and this is plastered over with cement plaster. The change........

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