The Tunnels Beneath Mohatta Palace
Karachi's grandest old palace is said to hide a tunnel leading to the sea, and to have jinn living in its empty rooms.
What was reported
Mohatta Palace was built in 1927 for the businessman Shivratan Mohatta, in pink stone, with domes and turrets in a Rajasthani style. After 1947 it was used by the government and later by Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Pakistan's founder.
For years it stood empty, and stories grew: that a secret tunnel ran from it to a Hindu temple near the shore, that jinn and ghosts lived in its rooms, and that people heard noises at night.
Explanations offered
There is a short tunnel under the palace, but it's thought to have been for ventilation or storage, not to lead to the sea. The jinn stories grew while the building was locked up. It reopened as a museum in 1999.
- When
- Built in 1927
- Where
- Clifton, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
- Witnesses
- Karachi residents
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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