KARACHI: History buffs on Monday felt a pang of disappointment to read a news item regarding the looting of historic items from the Khan of Kalat Palace in Kalat town.

According to it, unconfirmed reports suggested that armed men broke into the palace in the early hours of Friday and took away a number of valuable objects, including thrones and swords used by the late Khan of Kalat, Mir Ahmed Yar Khan Ahmedzai. But Prince Mohammad, the son of Khan of Kalat, denied the reports in a statement, saying no incident of theft had taken place, and that he had the consent of his parents to keep some precious items of the palace.

In December 2004, a grand exhibition delineating the history of Karachi and its connection with the southern parts of the country was opened for public at the Mohatta Palace Museum. Organised by the museum in collaboration with the Dawn Media Group, the show, which lasted for three months, was named ‘Jewel in the Crown: Karachi Under the Raj - 1843-1947’.

The exhibition, largest in the history of the city, spread over 49 rooms and adjoining areas, had a variety of splendid objects. They ranged from a statue of Queen Victoria accompanied by two lions at her feet to some rare photographs of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah put on display for the first time.

Amidst such gems, there were belongings of the Talpurs and of the Khan of Kalat. There were quite a few items from the Khan of Kalat Palace that attracted the attention of art lovers. They included swords ornamented with precious stones and the Khan’s throne.

The throne was an eye-catching sight and vindicated the tastefulness that princely states were once known for. It did not exude an aura of power but gave off a gentle royal vibe.

Then there’s a remarkable black and white photograph taken by Arif Mahmood capturing the grand drawing room of the palace with a 1,000sqft early 18th century Kashan carpet taken from the Mashhad Fort by the driving hordes of the Khan’s marauding forces. The light filtering through the windows lends incandescence to the whole scene which is pretty breathtaking.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2015

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