Qissa Khwani Bazaar

By Iván G. Somlai

Hussain

1. Famous municipalities around the world have “historical neighbourhoods”, “market centres”, “sights you must see”. Peshawar has Qissa Khwani!

2. UNESCO identifies seven creative fields in which selected cities are judged: crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music. Qissa Khwani’s historical attributes encompass most of these, but with the added pedigree of unparalleled, complex history.

3. Although some ambiguities remain in the origin and establishment of Peshawar, it is safe to say that by the 2nd century BCE, Peshawar (with at least a dozen variants of its spelling and meaning) was a learning and commercial hub.

Its location by the Bara River (of Mahabharata fame!) and the Khyber Pass made it an ideal caravanserai for arriving and departing traders from Silk Road centres like Xian, Samarkhand and Bokhara via Kabul and Khyber on their way to Lahore, Amritsar and Delhi....and return.

4. Gradually, some part of the main travel route evolved into a service neighbourhood focusing on travellers’ needs: this was Qissa Khwani Bazaar, the Story Tellers Market, a vibrant, chronicled historical area in its own right, as attested to by visible archaism in the multiepochal architecture.

5. Over hundreds of years, this strategic location of Qissa Khwani gradually expanded from a thriving main-street to a tentacled neighbourhood of dense settlements, multigenerational havelis (urban courtyard mansions), replete with meandering pedestrian alleyways of multifarious occupations, or guilds. Gradually, a walled city was formed around this and adjoining neighbourhoods with 16 major entry gates, having the original entry from the north by the Kabuli Gate and east at the Lahori Gate. Fourteen more gates were later constructed and closed at nights for security of the inhabitants; most of these gates have decayed.

6. Specialty stores included (some still do) jewellery, cloth, silkenwear, fur, bedding, footwear, haberdasheries, metalsmiths, kitchenware, crockery, books, lighting supplies, military memorabilia, carpets, mechanical parts, cookware, antiques, spices galore....a virtually endless assortment of utilitarian and decorative items, interspersed with vendors of groceries, sweets, fruit sellers, fishmongers, money exchange and transfer offices.

7. Being at the intersection of various trade routes, Qissa Khwani became, as a matter of course, representative of their respective cultures, religions and languages: thus for many years, the intermingling of local Muslims with Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu merchants was an exemplar of peaceful cooperation, and some structural remnants of each still exist, in various stages of visibility and condition.

8. The area was ideal for congregating in local qahwa khana (tea stalls) to sip qahwa (sweet green tea often infused with cardamom, cinnamon and crushed nuts), exchanging information on travel routes and regional politics, along with listening to Pakhtun and Hindko folklore and fanciful tall tales! Creeping modernization has by now progressively replaced storytellers with electronic news and entertainment; and by around the middle of the 20th century, camel, horse and mule caravans had been replaced by a variety of vehicles that unavoidably clog the thoroughfares of Qissa Khwani.

9. Nearby goods stores are sweetshops as well as eateries where while the menu be sparse, the mouth-watering specialties such as charsi tikka, chapli kabab and kheer can satisfy most demanding palates.

10. Visitors should come not only for shopping, but also to explore historical sacred sites like the Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Mohallah (urban residential neighbourhood) Baqir Shah, built during Emperor Aurangzeb’s reign (1658 - 1707); the neglected darwaza (gates) which admitted hundreds of thousands of itinerants; and sites of major political events during the ages, commemorated with historic plaques and/ or structures. Then of course, for film buffs there are the ancestral homes of some major artists, such as Dilip Kumar,

Raj Kapur, Shah Rukh Khan and Madhubala.

11. Sadly, many original buildings, gardens, walls, gates and temples, have been seriously deteriorating from neglect, misuse, unauthorised renovations, as well as inferior quality repairs. Several extraordinary examples of period architecture now exhibit only protruding structural members, with the buildings in varying states of ruin. Intricate architecture, imbued with the lengthy history of this area, could still be rescued were it efficiently managed through increased tourism which in turn could avail necessary funds for the department of archeology and architectural specialists to pursue competent renovations of major historical importance.

12. A suggested place to start your tour is to park at Chowk Yadgaar (Remembrance Square) from where an alleyway allows sighting of Cunningham Clock Tower (Ghanta Ghar), which can then remain your reference point as you explore further. Take the right fork from the Clock Tower straight to the Mughal era Gor Khatri Museum, from where the Italian ‘Abu Tabela’ (look up his real name and reputation!) governed the area in the mid 19th century. Further along you reach Gorakh Nath Hindu temple built in 1851. Try to link with a local friend who could steer you around the maze; that would be best.

About the author

Iván G. Somlai has lived over 16 years in Asia, including 3 in Pakistan based in Peshawar, and was responsible for a complex, multisectoral project involving most districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. One of his favourite frequent haunts was Qissa Khwani, where his thirst for history, culture and qahwa were simultaneously quenched! A former Olympian and mountaineer, and retired from university, Ivan actively engages in multisectoral consulting globally.

Swat is without doubt one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the northern Pakistan. Swat has a rich historical past. It was described as “Udyana” (the garden) in ancient Hindu epics and where in 327 BC, Alexander the Great fought and won some of his major battles before crossing over to the plains of the five rivers. The famous Gandhara Buddhist Civilization later flourished in this valley.

Barikot is an important historical town on the main road to Mingora. The area around Barikot is full of rich and amazing archaeological sites in an environment which is still intact. It is one of the four places in this area were Alexander the Great fought crucial battles. Barikot is dominated by the serene majesty of Mt. Ilam which is considered a holy mountain in Hinde religion. There are number of archaeological sites around Barikot town.

Recently, I had chance to take an exploratory trip to lower Swat and I was amazed to see the great potential this area offers for archaeological tourism. Here I share with you details of some of the very impressive but less known sites of Barikot area.

Bazira

The main archaeological site at Barikot was identified as the ancient city of Bazira, conquered by Alexander the Great in 327 B.C. Excavations carried out by Italian Archaeological Mission in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan have brought to light evidence spanning from the 2nd millennium B.C. to the early Muslim period.

A beautifully restored portion of the Indo-Greek defensive wall and bastions are visible from the road on left side while traveling towards Mingora. There is also a very nice view point on the hill top behind this archaeological site from where one can have a panoramic view of site of ancient city of Bazira and Valley of Swat River on the other side.

Amluk Dara Stupa

Amluk Dara is another great archaeological site of this area. This Gandhara civilization archaeological site was uncovered jointly by Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. Sheltered by the great Mount Ilam, the Amluk Dara stupa is an ancient relic situated about 2 km on the north of Nawagai village in the beautiful small valley of Amluk Dara, on the main road which travels from Barikot to Buner.

The stupa stands with ancient majesty and can be seen from the surrounding mountains. Excavators working on the site that dates back to the third century recently discovered an entire complex surrounding the main stupa which was first discovered by the Hungarian-British archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein in 1926. It was later studied by Domenico Faccena in the 60s and 70s.

Dr Luca Maria Olivieri who is the director of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan is working on the restoration of this site. He informed that Sir Aurel Stein in 1926 reported the ruins and wrote that the main stupa was possibly one of the best preserved pieces of Buddhist architecture he had ever seen in Gandhara. The main stupa with its sacred area was founded around the third century and lasted until 10th or 11th century.

Amluk Dara is also very significant as it lies on the route followed by the Hindus of lower Swat on their annual visit to the sacred height of Mount Ilam. The top of the mountain was an object of pious pilgrimage already in Buddhist times.

Another important and unique archaeological site located in this area is Gumbat. The great sanctuary of Gumbat, the only monument in the architecture of Gandhara exhibiting a double cupola is a great site for visitors. This site was in danger of collapsing. A Pak-Italian team, besides offering guidelines for preliminary restoration to the Pakistan Army in 2011 has secured the area and conducted a partial digging. The research work has revealed that the sanctuary was erected no later than the 2nd century A.D. and that the holiest part, dominated by three surrounding large shrines, remained in use until relatively late times.

The Rock Art Sites

In the mountains south of Barikot, the archaeologists have documented 52 painted shelters in the mountains area of Kahai Kandao, Sarghah Sar and Talang. Among these painted shelters, two sites, Sarghah Sar and Kakai Kandao are dated to Bronze Age (1400 BC). Particularly the rock shelter of Sarghah Sar is very impressive, which resembles a human face. The paintings are located at the base of a huge rock slab in a natural opening (that appears as the “mouth”), while two natural cavities create the illusion of two enormous eyes. The paintings represent an agricultural cycle: dotted grids symbolize ploughed and sowed fields. The anthropomorphic inserted in the central grid might represent Ksetrapati, the Ragvedic “Lord of the Field”. A hero with solar shield faces a leopard and an ibex depicts ritual slaughtering.

In fact the entire lower Swat Valley is rich in old relics. Every town and village has a wealth of old remains in one form or the other. Many villages are historically very significant because of their names in ancient languages. Udegram, Shingardar Stupa, Nimogram Stupa, Kamal China, Abbashib China, Thokar Dara Stupa, Gogdara, Gheghai, Jahanabad Buddha and Batkara Stupa are some of the other significant archaeological sites of lower Swat Valley. In the next article I will share details on these impress archaeological sites. ACT- Field School Project of Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan and Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP) are working together to promote sustainable and eco-friendly community based archaeological tourism in this area of Swat Valley. They have helped local community to form Swat Archaeological Guides Association (SAGA) and building their capacity to conduct group tour programs. They have also developed different package tours for domestic as well as foreign tourists to provide guided tours led by trained local community tour guides.