For a decade this street kept its architectural treasures largely cloistered from public view. This was the time when it was closed to vehicular traffic, mainly public transport, thus depriving the general public of its right to feast its eyes on some of the most elegantly constructed colonial buildings in this city. Men, women, children, foreign envoys and houses made of beautiful stone all equally shrouded in an atmosphere of insecurity.

It was thus pure delight to learn that Fatima Jinnah Road, also known as Sharhah-i-Fatima, was reopened on Jan 23 after remaining closed for traffic for 10 years. The closure had happened not too long after 9/11 when a couple of bomb blasts ripped through the road parallel to it, on which the US Consulate was located. Now that the latter has moved elsewhere in the city, the road has been opened. Apart from the fact that the public will now be able to pass through the street without hindrance and the load of traffic flowing from Sharea Faisal and Cantt to Clifton will be eased, there are some marvelous historic works of architecture on both sides of this strip. From Flagstaff House to Cantt Railway Station, it takes less than a minute's drive (and five minutes' walk, in this writer's case) to cover the area. And we are not talking about regular old buildings; these are architecturally stupendous and historically significant structures.

Fatima Jinnah Road was formerly known as Bonus Road. We can begin exploring this thoroughfare from the Quaid-i-Azam Museum (Flagstaff House), which in itself is a work of art but as it has twice been discussed in this column, let's skip it, though not without giving it a good look. The very next building is the Trinity Private Secondary School. While it is not as old as some of the other buildings, being established a little over 50 years ago, it does gel well with the other, more hallowed, stone beauties, as do a few expansive, well-maintained, and classical bungalows that follow it.

What exists opposite these residential and educational edifices is a magnificent sight. Sadly, and perhaps understandably, no one is allowed to take pictures of this gorgeous, celebrated piece of stonemasonry that we know as Sindh Club. Sorry, Sind Club, as it insists on still being termed. It remains debatable as to who designed Sind Club. Two names often come up in discussions and history books: architect James Strachan and a committee member of the Bombay Engineers, Le Mesurier. Whoever it was, he did a praiseworthy job. Experts are of the view that the portion of the club which was first constructed boasts an Italianate style with semicircular openings on the ground and first floors, whereas an Indo-Italianate style was used in the blocks which were subsequently built. As expected, the club is in superb condition and lovely to take a peek into.

If you keep walking on the side of the road where Sind Club stands, you will inevitably stop at an arresting war memorial right outside the main entrance to Frere Hall. Positioned in the middle of a grassy patch protected by a thorny fence, it is as hard-wearing as it must have been when it was initially erected. However, its historical significance is only revealed when you read the inscription. It reads, "To the Glory of God, And in Memory of Our Comrades of the Baluch Infantry Group, Who Laid Down Their Lives, In the Great War 1914-1918." The names of some geographical entities are then listed: France, Egypt, East Africa, Mesopotamia, Persia, North West Frontier of India and Palestine.

Time to look in the opposition direction, that is, left. Move ahead. Yes, you may as well ignore the building where the US Consul-General lives, despite the fact that it too is a wonderful oldie, because the large security slabs obstruct its view. A missionary school is a good example of thoughtful architecture as is the building housing the Pak-American Cultural Centre (PACC). These have a residential profile and are not too large in size. The stone and wood used in its making catch the eye. It adds to the overall vintage ambience of Shahrah-i-Fatima Jinnah. jafferi

According to architect Arif Hasan: "This area represents the beginning of European Karachi as opposed to the Saddar region representing Native Karachi. Bartle Frere had a lot to do with it. Architecturally, a variety of styles were used in constructing buildings here ranging from basic to Renaissance to Gothic. The pattern would be: a main house with servants' quarters, , a garden and a stable for horses. Now times have changed. You can't freeze this street, but you can keep old buildings."

"Regarding the war memorial outside Frere Hall, we lost a lot of our soldiers in the war by being on the side of the British. This memorial reminds us of that," says Mr Hasan.

For some reason, Shahrah-i-Fatima Jinnah has an air of staidness about it. Could it be because of the burden of history that it carries? Or is it the violence and volatility of recent times from which it is yet to recover?

mohammad.salman@dawn.com