Peshawar is city of many splendors. it is embedded in history, having been in existence as far back as 400 years B.C. Over the centuries, the inhabitants of Peshawar have witnessed the march of many conquerors, some ruthless, some brave and magnanimous. It is a city of legends and of folklore. Proud, rugged and fierce as they may appear. Pathans inhabiting this age-old city are a very hospitable people. Peshawar also retains much of its traditions, old grandeur and character, having been in the path of all major invasions of the subcontinent. As the invading armies rolled down the historic Khyber Pass, Peshawar saw the march of Alexander’s warriors as well as those of the white Huns, the Mughals, Sikhs, British and so on. The successive invasions have helped to enrich the cultural mosaic of the city. The people are handsome with sharp features closely resembling those of the Greeks. Peshawar Retains the narrow lanes and streets as well as the typical crowded oriental bazaars, overflowing with goods and people. Among the most famous of the Peshawar bazaars is the Qissa Khawani bazaar, immortalized by the British poet and writer Rudyard Kipling as the street of the story-tellers.
The Peshawar bazaars flourished as the city has traditionally been a wholesale market for goods transported across the Khyber Pass to and from Afghanistan and the subcontinent. Infect it has also been a resting post for merchants carrying their wars beyond Afghanistan into central Asia. For any visitor to Peshawar, Qissa Khanwani is an unavoidable haunt. it retains all the romanticism and chivalry that has been the hallmark of the area. Tribesmen and traders gather here to ex-change news and anecdotes and to haggle and bargain. As the fierce but friendly, war and hospitable pathans chater and gossip between cups of sweet tea, brightly painted and gaily decorated trucks, vans and car pass by, with all horns blaring. The bazaars of Peshawar are a buyer’s delight. Craftsmanship is of an exceptionally high standard with brass and copper work. Intricately carved wood work and handsomely designed Peshawar sandals being the principal attraction. A visitor to Peshawar will no doubt notices the happy blend of the new and the old.
Peshawar City Tour
Tour Itinerary
For visitors, Peshawar offers more than the charm of its bazaars and its people. There is the the Bala Hisar fort built by the Mughal Emperor Babar in the early sixteenth century. There is the famous Mahabat khan mosque built in the late sixteenth century. By its design and architectural magnificence, it is smaller version of the Badshahi mosque at Lahore. Peshawar also has its version of the Hyde Park in the form of a famous square known as chowk Yadgar. It is here that the politicians propagate their programs and policies. A visit to Peshawar will be incomplete without a visit to the Peshawar Museum which was founded at the turn of the present century. The museum has a particularly rich and rare collection of antiquities relating to Gandhara civilizations. we stroll down Qissa Khawani Bazaar (Street of Storytellers), were raconteurs once fascinated crowds with lurid tales. Today, dentists have replaced the storytellers and rows of teeth vie for our attention. We wander down side-streets and see donkeys, goats, sheep, camels, men smoking ‘hookahs’ or sipping tea; but we see few women. And the few that pass by us will be accompanied by a male. Even then, they will reveal only their mysterious eyes peeking through the spidery veil of their ankle-length ‘burka’. we will move to Sethi Streets which is in the heart of the walled city. These streets contain seven houses (including Sethi House a cultural heritage) built by the Sethis. These unique houses are a blend of the art and architecture of Gandhara and Central Asia, are rare architectural masterpieces located in the walled city. later we will visit the museum where your guide will tell you a detailed story of Buddha and how Buddhism arrived and disappeared in Pakistan. On our way back we will stop at Islamia College a prestigious college where many leaders of the subcontinent studies. We will have BBQ dinner with Afghan Tikkas and some Afghan traditional dishes in Peshawar.
Places of Interest
Peshawar Museum
The Peshawar Museum is a museum situated in the historic city of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in Pakistan, which is renowned for its collection of Gandhara art.
The Peshawar Museum was founded in 1907 in memory of Queen Victoria. The two-story building features an amalgamation of British, South Asian, Hindu, Buddhist and Mughal Islamic architectural styles. Originally, there was only one main hall. Two halls were added in 1969–70. In 2004–05, an additional block was completed with two galleries, two halls for the reserve collection, offices for the provincial directorate of archaeology, a conservation laboratory and a cafeteria. The original building was renovated during that time.
The current collection has almost 14,000 items based on Gandhara, Greco-Buddhist, Kushan, Parthian, and Indo-Scythian life. Examples include art, sculptures, coins, manuscripts, statues, ancient books, early versions of the Holy Quran, weapons, dresses, jewelry, Kalash effigies, inscriptions, paintings of the Mughal and later periods, household materials and pottery, as well as local and Persian handicrafts.
Mahabat Khan Mosque
Peshawar Museum which is renowned for its collection of Gandhara art. The Peshawar Museum was founded in 1907 in memory of Queen Victoria. The two-story building features an amalgamation of British, South Asian, Hindu, Buddhist and Mughal Islamic architectural styles. The current collection has almost 14,000 items based on Gandhara, Greco-Buddhist, Kushan, Parthian, and Indo-Scythian life. Examples include art, sculptures, coins, manuscripts, statues, ancient books, early versions of the Holy Quran, weapons, dresses, jewelry, Kalash effigies, inscriptions, paintings of the Mughal and later periods, household materials and pottery, as well as local and Persian handicrafts.
Mahabat Khan Mosque
Mahabat Khan Mosque is a 17th-century Mughal-era Mosque. The mosque is named after the Mughal governor of Peshawar, Nawab Mahabat Khan bin Ali Mardan Khan, known alternatively as Mahabat Khan and Ali Mardan Khan, who served under Emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. The Mosque was built between 1660 and 1670, on what was the highest point in the old city. The minarets of the Mohabbat Khan Mosque were frequently used in Sikh times for hanging prisoners, as a substitute for the gallows. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, refugee tribal elders would congregate in the mosque in order to forge unity amongst Afghans against the Soviets.
Qissa Khawani Bazaar
Qissa Khawani Bazaar (Street of Storytellers), were raconteurs once fascinated crowds with lurid tales. Today, dentists have replaced the storytellers and rows of teeth vie for our attention. We wander down side-streets and see donkeys, goats, sheep, camels, men smoking ‘hookahs’ or sipping tea; but we see few women. And the few that pass by us will be accompanied by a male. Even then, they will reveal only their mysterious eyes peeking through the spidery veil of their ankle-length ‘burka’.
Sethi Streets
Sethi Streets or Sethi Mohallah is an area in the heart of the walled city of Peshawar, the mohallah contains seven houses (including Sethi House a cultural heritage) built by the Sethis. These unique houses are a blend of the art and architecture of Gandhara and Central Asia, are rare architectural masterpieces located in the walled city. The Sethis were traders who had businesses in China, India, Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia, with trade centers at Mazar Sharif, Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarqand and other cities in the Asian region. The Sethi family was involved in considerable welfare work in Peshawar and had contributed to the construction of wells for the poor, along with the Lady Reading Hospital and the Islamia College Mosque.
Takht Bhai
Takht Bhai is a Parthian archaeological site in Mardan. It was first a Zoroastrian complex which, after the later arrival of Buddhism, was then converted into a Buddhist monastic complex. It is dated to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
Day excursion from Peshawar
Khyber Pass
While In Peshawar, we also make the historic Journey up the Khyber Pass. The drama begins the Jamrud Fort built by the Sikhs in 1823 when they attempted to control the uncontrollable Pathons. The road snakes through Rocky Mountains. Nearly every peak is crowned with a British fort that looks down at the impenetrable Pathan clay fortresses where guns would poke through turrets. This is tribal territory, and guns settle dispute. Our journey ends at Landi Kotal, a popular smuggler’s town.
Taxila
Taxila is one of subcontinent’s archaeological treasures and was once an important city of kingdom of Gandhara. The ruins of Taxila, scattered about 30kms away from Rawalpindi, represent one of the important archaeological sites in Pakistan. The history of Taxila spans over 1000years ( around 500 BC to 500 AD ), evolving and changing over the centuries as it absorbed the influences of various conquering empires, Taxila had been the site of the best-known university in the subcontinent, which offered courses in law, history, medicine, arts, etc.
The various sites at Taxila, spread over a large era, include: Bhir mound the oldest city of Taxila, Dharmarajika Buddhist stupa and monastery, Sirsukh city, Jaulian Buddhist monastery, etc. The Taxila museum is noted for its magnificent collection of Gandharan art- a rare blend of Greek and Buddhist art, it also housed an interesting coin- collection, utensils, jewelry, toys and pottery highlighting the daily life of the inhabitants of ancient Taxila.
Takht Bhai UNESCO heritage site
Takht Bhai is a Parthian archaeological site in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was first a Zoroastrian complex which, after the later arrival of Buddhism, was then converted into a Buddhist monastic complex. It is dated to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
Islamabad City Tours
Islamabad Pakistan’s capital nestles against the backdrop of the Margalla hills, the foothills of the Himalayas modern, spacious and carefully planned Islamabad is a city of wide, tree-lined streets, large houses, elegant public buildings and well-organized shopping malls, traffic jams and crowds seldom occur, and narrow lanes and slums are few and far between sidewalks are shaded and safe behind rows of flame trees. jacaranda, hibiscus, roses and jasmine at full bloom present the city to its best.this beautiful city offers some of the lovely places like Lok Virsa museum and Faisal mosque which is one of the biggest mosques in the world. It also has a natural history museum, and eye-catching spots kike Daman-e-Koh, Japanese garden, Shakarparian and Rawal dam, Islamabad, being the federal capital, is also the custodian of the parliament house, presidency and all the foreign embassies.
