PESHAWAR - THE FRONTIER TOWN Peshawar is the heart of the NW Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, watered by the Kabul and Swat rivers, that runs for over 1,100 km along the border with Afghanistan. Here is also the heart of the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, rich in archaeological remains. It lies at the edge of the historic Khyber Pass and is well known for its historic and cultural values. The name derives from a Sanskrit word “Pushpapura” meaning the “City of flowers”. Over the years the city has seen many invaders and travelers passing it by, from around the world. The pass and the valley have resounded to the tramp of marching feet as successive armies hurtled down the crossroad of history, pathway of commerce, migration and invasion by Aryans, Scythians, Persians, Greeks, Bactrians, Kushans, Huns, Turks’ Mongols and Moghols. Alexander the Great’s legions and the southern wing of his army were held up here in 327 B.C. for 40 days at a fort excavated recently, 27 km NE of Peshawar at Pushkalavati (Lotus City) near Charsadda. The great Babur marched through historic Khyber Pass to conquer South Asia in 1526 and set up the Moghal Empire in the South Asia. The city is the land of the Pathans - a completely male-dominated society, who are faithful Muslims. Their typical martial and religious character has been moulded by their heroes, like Khushal Khan Khattak, the warrior poet and Rehman Baba, a preacher and also a poet of Pushto language. Today, they themselves guard the Pakistan-Afghanistan border along the great passes of the Khyber, the Tochi, the Gomal and others on Pakistan’s territory. Before independence they successfully defied mighty empires, like the British and the Moghal and others before them, keeping the border simmering with commotion, and the flame of freedom proudly burning. In the early 21 st c. the activities of the Taliban spread into the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region and then deeper into Pakistan. Peshawar increasingly became a target of Taliban attacks, which grew in frequency in 2009, as the Pakistani army confronted Taliban forces in the region. Peshawar is now, as always, very much a frontier town. The formalities of dress and manner give way here to a free and easy style, as men encounter men with a firm hand-clasp and a straight, but friendly look. Hefty handsome men in baggy trousers and long, loose shirts, wear bullet studded bandoleers across their chests or pistols at their sides as a normal part of their dress. It is also a place where ancient traditions jostle with those of today, where the bazaar in the old city has changed little in the past 100 years, except to become the neighbor of a modern university, several international banks and one of the best museums in Pakistan. IMPORTANT LANDMARKS - THE OLD CITY: Until the mid 50’s Peshawar was enclosed within a city wall and sixteen gates. Of the old city gates, the most famous was the Kabuli Gate, but only the name remains now. It leads out to the Khyber and on to Kabul. Being an important border city the bazaars of Peshawar are the most attractive. There is always a lot of activity going on. The KISSA KHAWANI BAZAAR (Story Tellers Bazaar): It was described in the mid-19 th c. by the British Commissioner in Peshawar, Sir Herbert Edwardes, as “the Piccadilly of Central Asia”. Towering over the street are tall, narrow buildings with intricately carved balconies and window frames. Before the advent of radios and television, the art of professional story telling flourished in the traditional teahouses and balakhanas in the bazaar. The storyteller relied on his tongue and his imagination to earn his livelihood. The tales were partly narrated, partly sung to an audience of traders and travelers arriving with their caravans from distant corners of the world. KHYBER BAZAAR: Here are located many of Peshawar’s cheaper hotels and, in the evening, food stalls selling excellent kebabs and fry-ups. Meat is sold by weight and then cooked while you watch. The main street, full of doctors, lawyers and dentists, features billboards depicting sets of false teeth of nightmarish proportions. MOSQUE OF MOHABAT KHAN: The only significant remaining Moghal mosque in Peshawar was built by Mohabat Khan in 1670, when he was twice Governor of Peshawar under Moghal Emperors Shah Jehan and Aurangzeb. The mosque was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898 and was only saved by the unremitting efforts of the faithful. The extensive renovation of the mosque was done by the traditional craftsman. The mosque is a fine specimen of Moghal architecture. The interior of the prayer chamber has been lavishly decorated with floral work and calligraphy. According to the late 19 th c. Gazetteer, the minarets were frequently used in Sikh times ‘as a substitute for the gallows’. SETHI HOUSES: These houses are situated in Mohallah Sethian and can be approached from Chowk yadgaar. These are highly decorated style of building with carved wooden doors, partitions, balconies, mirrored and painted rooms. The Sehtis are the traditional business community of Peshawar. The main house was built in 1882 by Haji Ahmed Gul, who migrated from a near village almost six generations ago. BALA HISAAR FORT: This mighty Fort lies on both eastern approaches to Peshawar city. It is a massive frowning structure, as its name implies, and the newcomer passing under the shadow of its huge battlements and ramparts cannot fail to be impressed. Originally built by Babar, the first of the Moghals in 1526-30, it was rebuilt in its present form by the Sikh Governor of Peshawar, Hari Singh Nalva, in the 1830’s under the guidance of French engineers. It houses government offices at present. PESHAWAR MUSEUM: Peshawar Museum is housed in an imposing building of the British days. It was formerly the Victoria Memorial Hall built in 1905. The large hall, side galleries and the raised platform, which were used for ball dances, now display in chronological order finest specimens of Gandhara sculptures, tribal life, the Muslim period and ethnography.