KARACHI: Farhan Muhammad Khan, who like many other Karachiites had found a beautiful place in Do Darya restaurant to dine with friends and family, is upset to hear that eateries set up some seven years ago will be closed after this Ramadan.
Deewan-e-Khass was the name of his famous restaurant, which along with four others, has already been shut down. Olive Café, Ambala Corniche and part of Kolachi, at the seaside in the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) neighborhood of the city, are also closed now.
One of the restaurants voluntarily closed business, 11 are open but may be shut down anytime, said Atif, the owner of Kolachi, a café named after the old name of the seaside Pakistani metropolis.
“When dozens of DHA and police mobile vans come and enter your property, how can you resist? They have started vacating the area by force,” Atif told Arab News, adding that when DHA failed to win the case in court, the authorities issued verbal orders to vacate immediately after Ramadan.
“This was a deserted place. A plot of 500 yards was worth 3 million rupees only. DHA gave us the place on lease. And we made huge investments.”
Atif claims that when the value of the land rose from 3 million rupees to 900 million rupees, the housing authority wanted the place vacated.
On March 22, 2013, the DHA authorities sent first legal notice to all restaurants to vacate the premises by Aug. 15. The notice prompted the owners to file a petition, submitting that each of the restaurants was allotted an area of 1,500 square yards under a written lease agreement on July 6, 2011.
The petitioners submitted before the court that they were promised their contracts would be renewed after the completion of a two-year period. “Though we were refused a lease for 30 years but were told that the place would not be vacated and there would be agreement after two years,” Atif said.
The latest stay order by Sindh High Court, dated Jan. 30, 2018, prompted the DHA authorities to resort to the use of force, Atif said.
“They have the power. All we can do is to go to court, which we will go. We have invested millions to build this place from scratch. All the restaurant owners will go to the court.”
The Kolachi’s owner also urged the army chief and chief justice to take notice of the action which, he said, was aimed at destroying a great atmosphere that projects the peaceful face of Karachi.
A spokesperson for the DHA refused to comment.
Fate of Karachi’s famous seaside food street in limbo
Fate of Karachi’s famous seaside food street in limbo
- Authorities to shut down Karachi’s famous seaside food street, Do Darya, after Ramadan.
- Tensions between restaurant owners at Do Darya and the Defense Housing Authority have been brewing since 2013.
Riyadh to install 25 new public artworks after conclusion of Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium
- Move will extend the impact of the annual art event beyond its conclusion, bringing large-scale contemporary artworks into the city’s streets and parks
- Artworks produced during the symposium will now become part of Riyadh Art’s permanent collection
RIYADH: Some 25 sculptures created during the seventh edition of the Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium and exhibition will soon be installed across public spaces in Riyadh.
The move will extend the impact of the annual art event beyond its conclusion, organizers said, bringing large-scale contemporary artworks into the city’s streets and parks.
Organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City through the Riyadh Art Program, the 2026 edition has ended after nearly two months of live sculpting, exhibitions and public programming.
The artworks produced during the symposium will now become part of Riyadh Art’s permanent collection and will appear across the capital as part of a broader effort to integrate art into everyday urban life.
This year’s symposium began in January and took place along Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Road, widely known as Tahlia Street.
The site was transformed into an open-air studio in which visitors could observe artists carving, welding and assembling sculptures.
The live sculpting phase, which was held between Jan. 10 and Feb. 5, brought together leading Saudi and international artists to produce 25 large-scale works.
The sculptures were created using locally sourced granite and reclaimed metal, highlighting both the region’s natural materials and the creative reuse of industrial elements.
Visitors were able to follow the process of each artwork’s development, from raw materials to finished sculptures, while also interacting with the artists and learning about their techniques and concepts.
The event also featured a wide-ranging community engagement program designed to deepen public understanding of contemporary art.
The program included 10 panel discussions, 105 training workshops and 15 masterclasses exploring sculptural techniques, materials and the role of public art in cities.
Educational outreach formed another key component of the symposium. Organizers hosted 25 educational visits for more than 600 students, while daily guided tours enabled visitors to explore the artworks and gain insight into the creative processes behind them.
After the live sculpting phase, the completed sculptures remained on-site until March 8, giving visitors the opportunity to experience the works in their original setting before their distribution across Riyadh.
The symposium was curated by Lulwah Al-Homoud, Sarah Staton, and Rut Blees Luxemburg, who guided the artistic direction around the theme “Traces of What Will Be,” exploring how sculpture can reflect future possibilities while responding to the city’s evolving identity.
