On March 21, 2023, our Year 4 pupils excitedly went off on a field trip to Mohatta Palace Museum. Since they had already studied the Mughal Emperors and their contribution towards art and architecture, it was interesting for them to actually see and discuss the art and design in the Palace itself, which was designed by Ahmed Hussein Agha in a Mughal revival style.

Our pupils learnt that the palace was built by Shiv Rattan Mohatta in 1927, as a summer house near the sea for Mrs. Mohatta. It is made of yellow Gizri and pink stones from Jodhpur and is considered a masterpiece of the Muslim-Indian architect.

During partition, the palace was acquired by our government and later given to Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah and her sister Mohtarma Shireen Jinnah. After remaining abandoned for many years, it finally opened for the public on September 15, 1999. Since then, it has been a hub of numerous exhibitions representing the cultural heritage of Pakistan. It also holds a vast history of our Founder’s major life events captured by Ziauddin Barki, the Quaid’s official photographer.

Our pupils were specially touched by Gallery No. 4 that portrayed the death event of Quaid-e-Azam. The first floor displayed a new exhibition Gaj: Colours of the Rainbow, which focused on embroidery and they were really delighted to see the paintings of Sadequain which our school’s founder, Begum Amina Majeed Malik had gifted to the museum.

The visit not only helped in learning the history of Pakistan but also helped pupils to see how architects have paid attention to minute details while planning homes and palaces for the people in the past, representing the art and culture of the country.