"Colonial Architecture in Pakistan: Buildings Worth Seeing"

The best colonial buildings in Pakistan are concentrated in three places: The Mall in Lahore, Saddar and the old Civil Lines in Karachi, and the cantonment and Saddar of Peshawar. Most date from the 1860s to the 1930s, mix Gothic and Mughal ideas in red brick and yellow stone, and are still in daily use as courts, post offices, markets and colleges. You can see the Lahore and Karachi groups on foot in a morning each, and only a few, such as the Lahore Museum, charge an entry fee.

This guide picks out the buildings that reward a stop, explains what to look for, and gives practical notes on visiting.

What colonial buildings can you see on Mall Road, Lahore?

The Mall is the densest run of colonial buildings in the country, and the Punjab government banned rallies on it in March 2026 to protect its heritage character. Walking from the GPO end towards Charing Cross, the highlights are:

• Tollinton Market. The oldest purpose-built colonial building on The Mall, put up for the Punjab Exhibition of 1864. It later held the first museum and then a produce market, and was restored in the 2000s.
• Lahore Museum. Built in 1894 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, designed by Bhai Ram Singh and John Lockwood Kipling, with Ganga Ram overseeing construction. It is the clearest example of Indo-Saracenic style in Pakistan, and its Gandhara collection is the best reason to go inside.
• General Post Office. Also built for the 1887 Jubilee, by Ganga Ram, at the corner of McLeod Road and The Mall.
• Lahore Cathedral. The Cathedral Church of the Resurrection, a Gothic church by John Oldrid Scott, consecrated in 1887. Lahoris call it Kukar Girja after the weathercock that once sat on top.

Two more are worth a detour off The Mall. The Lawrence and Montgomery Halls in Bagh-e-Jinnah, built in the 1860s, now house the Quaid-e-Azam Library. Lahore Junction railway station, built in 1859 to 1860 just after the 1857 uprising, was designed like a fortress, with turrets and thick walls. Our Mall Road walking guide sets out a route and courtesy rules for the buildings that are still government offices.

What should you see in Karachi's Saddar?

Karachi's colonial core grew east of the old town, and the buildings are more spread out than in Lahore, so take a car or rickshaw between groups.

• Frere Hall. Completed in 1865 as the town hall, in the Civil Lines next to the Sind Club. Inside, the ceiling was painted by Sadequain in the 1980s and one mural was left unfinished at his death in 1987. See our Frere Hall guide.
• Empress Market. Built between 1884 and 1889 and named after Victoria. The Sindh government reopened it in June 2026 after a restoration of the market sections, pedestrian areas and the clock tower, which had not worked for about 25 years. Our Empress Market guide covers what is sold there.
• St Patrick's Cathedral. A short walk from Empress Market, the Gothic Revival cathedral was consecrated in 1881 and has 24 stained-glass windows made in Munich.
• Merewether Tower. The Gothic clock tower at the meeting of M.A. Jinnah Road and I.I. Chundrigar Road, opened in 1892, once marked the line between the old town and the European quarter.
• Denso Hall, the KMC Building and the KPT Building. Along and near M.A. Jinnah Road, from 1886, 1932 and 1916 respectively. The KMC Building, with its central clock tower, is the grandest.

Mohatta Palace in Clifton is a different kind of building: a 1927 summer house for a Marwari businessman, in pink Jodhpur stone, now a museum.

What about Peshawar Cantonment?

Peshawar has a smaller but older set of buildings. St John's Cathedral in the cantonment, beside the Peshawar Garrison Services Club, had its foundation stone laid in 1851 and was completed in 1860, making it the oldest church in the region. The Peshawar Museum opened in 1907 in a hall built in memory of Queen Victoria and, like Lahore's, holds Gandhara sculpture. Islamia College, founded in 1913, has one of the finest red-brick main buildings in the province, and the Cunningham Clock Tower in the old city went up in 1900.

How do you visit these buildings?

Most colonial buildings in Pakistan are working offices, courts, churches or colleges, which shapes the visit.

1. Look from outside first. You can photograph facades freely from the street, but courts, the GPO and anything near a security post may object to cameras at the gate. Ask before pointing a lens at guards or entrances.
2. Go in where it is public. The Lahore Museum, Frere Hall, Empress Market, Mohatta Palace and the post offices are open to the public. Churches may let respectful visitors in outside service times, though security staff at the gate decide.
3. Check museum hours. The Lahore Museum's official site lists 9am to 4pm in winter and 9am to 5pm in summer, closed on Fridays and the first Monday of the month, with tickets of PKR 50 for adults, PKR 20 for students and children and PKR 1,000 for foreign visitors (checked October 2026). See the Lahore Museum's official page and our Lahore Museum guide.
4. Go early. Saddar in Karachi and The Mall in Lahore are both heavy with traffic from late morning.

Is it worth seeing them?

If you are already in Lahore or Karachi, yes. The Mall is one of the best urban walks in Pakistan, and the Lahore Museum alone justifies a morning. Karachi's buildings are more scattered and less looked after, but Frere Hall, the restored Empress Market and St Patrick's together make a rewarding half day. They suit anyone interested in history, photography or cities, and they are a good option in the cool months when the north is snowed in.

They are less rewarding if you expect polished heritage sites with signs and guides. Many buildings are cluttered by traffic and wires, and few have any interpretation. For more ideas for city days, see our experiences page.

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