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Moses Somake: Karachi Goan Association Hall at Karachi, Pakistan

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Moses Somake Although Moses Somake’s buildings are among the most famous and recognizable in Karachi, little is known about the architect who designed them. Somake was born on June 6, 1875, possibly in Lahore. Sources describe him as an Iraqi Jew, but differ as to whether he was born in Iraq or was of Iraqi heritage but born in India. He spent most of his life in Karachi before emigrating to England in the mid 1940s, and died on April 6, 1947.² During his years in Karachi he designed over a dozen buildings, including mansions, hotels, and a mosque that was never built.³ Many of the buildings still remain: some, including the Karachi Goan Association Hall and the BVS Parsi School, still fulfill their original purpose, while others are neglected or have fallen into disuse. Even the buildings that are virtually abandoned are still recognized as some of Karachi’s most beautiful and striking landmarks, emblematic of a style described as “hauntingly beautiful”.⁴ Somake’s buildings preserve the past through their uses as well as their designs, recalling the greater religious diversity that existed in Karachi in the early 20th century, when a Jewish architect could be commissioned to design a mosque, a building for a predominantly Christian club, and a school for Zoroastrian students. 

History In 1886, the Goan Portuguese Association (later renamed the Karachi Goan Association) commissioned a little-known architect named Moses Somake to design their hall. The hall quickly became the center of social life for the Goan community (composed of Catholics of Portuguese-Hindu descent) in Karachi. It was briefly used as the Senior Officers Club for the US Army during World War II, but reverted to its normal use after the war.⁵ Large-scale emigration (especially to Australia and Canada) has shrunk the KGA’s membership; in 2012 the association had 483 members, compared to around 1300 in the 1940s.⁶ However, the association remains active, with biannual general members’ meetings as well as gathering on Christmas, Easter, and New Year’s. 

Eyewitness Description Menin Rodrigues described his experiences at the Karachi Goan Association Hall: “The Karachi Goan Association (KGA) club, which is now 125 years old, gave its members umpteen opportunities for recreational activities such as dance, music, theatre, opera, etc. The several rooms were always full of people engaged in playing bridge, tombola, whist-drive as well as table tennis or merely reading quietly; the in-house bar was another popular attraction. For outdoor games, there was the KGA Gymkhana on M.A. Jinnah Road with its large sports ground for cricket, hockey, football as well as tennis and badminton courts…Goans have a natural disposition towards music and dance and many families owned a piano or a baby piano and from a young age, children found themselves indulging in music. There were many talented musicians and singers in the community that formed Karachi’s first westernised music bands who performed to live audiences at consulates, embassies, night clubs, hotels and discotheques, New Year and Christmas parties and charity balls. The first all-women band was formed by the Goan girls known as ‘Xavier Sisters’ and they were immensely popular for their live performances”.⁷

Karachi's Jewish Community In the early 19th century, Jews of the Bene Israel communities in India migrated to Indian costal towns, including Karachi. By the 1890s, Karachi had a thriving Jewish population; the city’s Magan Shalome synagogue was constructed in 1893.⁸ The Jewish community played a role in shaping Karachi’s development—whether through the physical development of the city, as architect Moses Somake’s buildings transformed the landscape, or through political influence. Two prominent members of the Jewish community in the early 20th century were heavily involved in Karachi’s government. Solomon David Omerdekar, who spearheaded the effort to construct the synagogue, held several positions in the local government, and a street named after him still exists to this day.⁹ Abraham Reuben served as the first Jewish city councilor, elected to the city council three times between 1919 and 1939.¹⁰ According to several accounts, Karachi in the early 20th century was a very tolerant city, with diverse religious populations coexisting peacefully.¹¹ While the Jewish population was around 2500 at the time of partition, mass emigrations to Israel in the 1950s reduced the population to less than 300 by 1968. 

Karachi, Pakistan

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