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SocietyPakistan

In Pakistan, Karachi's Iranian cafes are disappearing

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Manaf Siddique in Karachi
November 21, 2025

Once thriving across Pakistan's largest city, Iranian cafes have largely vanished from Karachi. DW visits one of the city's remaining Iranian cafes, Khairabad Tea Shop.

In Pakistan, Iranian cafes in Karachi were famous for their unique interiors, wooden furniture and cuisine. They also proved to be a hotbed for intellectuals, writers, poets and even political activists, who used them to meet and exchange ideas about revolutionary reforms.

But today, this part of Karachi's heritage is on the verge of vanishing.

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