KARACHI, Nov 24: A major exhibition showcasing the history of Karachi and its linkages with the southern region of the country will be open to the public from Dec 1.

The organizers arranged a private viewing of the exhibition at the Mohatta Palace museum on Wednesday afternoon, where Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur of Khairpur made a rare public appearance.

Escorted by co-curators Hameed Haroon and Hameed Akund, Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur visited various rooms on the ground floor of the Mohatta Palace and the Quaid-i-Azam pavilion. He took a great deal of interest in the artefacts on display. He was also accompanied by Sherbaz Khan Mazari.

Organized by the Mohatta Palace Museum in collaboration with the Dawn Group of Newspapers, the 90-day exhibition is titled Jewel in the crown: Karachi under the Raj 1843-1947.

The exhibition was first held as part of Dawn's All about lifestyle show last year. In October 2004, a sneak preview of the exhibition was held which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

The belongings of the Khan of Kalat have been put on display on the ground floor of the Mohatta Palace. A number of swords ornamented with precious stones, and chairs are being exhibited. So are the belongings of the Talpurs, including the Hyderabad Mirs.

A room containing the furniture of the defunct KMC hall shows the splendour of the Raj. Two cap-wearing mannequins representing Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali are in the dock in one of the rooms. A black-and-white picture of the Khaliqdina Hall, where their famous trial took place, hangs behind them.

A huge statue of Queen Victoria stands tall on the lawns of the Mohatta Palace. She is accompanied by two lions sitting tamely at her feet. A picture in one of the eight pavilions shows the same picture taken during the visit of Prince and Princess of Wales to Karachi in 1905/06.

A pavilion on the lawns of the Mohatta Palace, titled "The sole spokesman - rare glimpses of Mr Mohammad Ali Jinnah", contains a large number of photographs of the Quaid-i-Azam.

Quite a few of the photographs have never been exhibited before. Another pavilion houses the photographs of Karachi taken by Arif Mahmood. The pavilion is called "Beyond Empire".

The co-curator of the exhibition, Hameed Haroon, said that spread over 49 rooms and adjoining areas, the show was the largest exhibition on the history of Karachi "to our researched knowledge."

"Judging from the response of the people of the city - 25,000 visitors in 36 hours - we decided to expand the exhibition, with an accent on the achievements of the sons of Karachi. At least 150 schools are scheduled to visit the exhibition which took us over five months to mount," he later told newsmen.

He said that 20 books and 59 CDs would be launched with the exhibition. He added that over six books were ready and the rest of them would be prepared soon. He said that the Dawn and the Indian Express had announced a collaborative project a year ago under which they would mount a Karachi-Bombay exhibition and Lahore-Delhi exhibition. He added that the two pairs of exhibitions could be combined and taken to Saarc countries.

The lenders include the Allah Baksh Soomro and Maulabaksh Soomro families, Arif Hashwani, Ashraf Liaquat Ali Khan, Ava Cowasjee, Bai Virbaiji Sopariwala School, Begum Amina Majeed Malik family, Bunto Kazmi, City Government, Civil Hospital Karachi, the Cowasjee family, Cutchi Memon Biradari, the Daud Pota and Akhund families, D.J. Science College, Dow Medical College, Fakhri Asad Ali, General Post Office, Ghinwa Bhutto, Golra Railway Museum, Governor House, Hanif Mirza, the Hashim Raza family, Hussain Haroon, Hussain Shah Rashdi, Ilahi Bakhsh Soomro, Karachi Boat Club, Karachi Fire Brigade Department, Karachi Grammar School, Karachi Port Trust, Karachi Zoo, Khan Suleman Khan of Kalat, Kharadar Jamatkhana, Lady Dufferin Hospital, Mahmoud Abdullah Haroon and Amber Haroon Saigol, the Mama family, Mama Parsi School, Masuma Lotia, Mir Ahmed Ali Talpur, Mir Haider Ali Talpur, Mir Mehdi Raza Talpur, Mir Murad Ali Khan Talpur, Mirza Khaleej Baig collection with Aijaz Baig, Mohammad Ali Wasan, Mumtaz Rashdi, Muneeza Shamsie, Munira Lotia and Amy Halai, N.K. Shahani, Naseem Ramzan Merchant, Pakistan Maritime Museum, Pakistan Memon Educational and Welfare Society, Pakistan National Museum, Personal collection of Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan III, Quaid-i-Azam Mazaar Museum, Quaid-i-Azam Museum/Flagstaff House, Quetta Museum and Archive, Rahimtoola family, Salim Wahidy, the Seafield collection with Hameed Haroon, the Sequeira family, Shaharyar Khan, Shah Murad Aliani, Sindh Assembly, Sindh Madressah, Sindh Police, St Patrick's Cathedral, Syed Jalal Shah and the G.M. Syed collection, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Jamote, Talat Hashmi, Taskeen and Farrukh Ali Baig, Zain Alvi and Zeenat and Tawfiq Chinoy.