Qissa Khwani Bazaar Peshawar: A Story Teller Itself

Peshawar is located in the large Peshawar Valley, flanked on three sides by mountain ranges, with the fourth opening onto the Punjab plains. The city is situated on the valley’s level base, known as the Gandhara Plains.

Peshawar beholds many ancient landmarks and attractions; one of them is Qissa Khwani Bazaar. The Qissa Khwani Bazaar is a bazaar in the heart of Peshawar city. Throughout ancient days, this was the meeting ground for caravans and military adventures from Central Asia, where professional storytellers recited ballads and tales of combat and passion for traders and warriors.

The Background Of Qissa Khwani Bazaar Peshawar

The Gazetteer government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (prevously NWF), the explorer Lowell Thomas and the British governor Herbert Edwardes of Peshawar called it “the Central Asian Piccadilly.”

In ancient times traders used to come here, they used to do both daytime and nighttime. As they sat round the fire at night, they used to tell stories by sipping Qahwa. Thus the bazar got its name “Story Tellers bazaar.”

It was the scene of the Qissa Khwani bazaar attack, when British armored cars and troops surrounded and shot a large crowd of unarmed local demonstrators.

Interesting History Behind Qissa Khwani Bazaar

Indian actor of film Dilip Kumar was born on or about 11 December 1922 in Qissa Khwani Bazaar and belongs to the Awan tribe. Family of Actor Shah Rukh Khan still lives in the area.

On 23 April 1930, nearly 400 unarmed protesters were shot dead in the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre by troops from the British colonial government. The massacre sparked riots across British India, and gave attention to the newly formed Khudai Khidmatgar movement.

In 2010 at a rally against electricity shortages 25 people died in a bomb attack. Again in 2013, the market was attacked by militants who used a 220 kg bomb to carry out an attack that killed 41 people and destroyed a nearby mosque as well as set several old wooden buildings in fire.

Prominent Features

As mentioned earlier, Qissa Khawani Bazaar is a location that travelers must visit, because of its historical background. In the older times there used to be skilled storytellers, caravans arriving from different Central Asian states staying in inns, drinking cup of green tea while listening to storytellers’ stories. I recommend following:

· Visiting the Bazaar

· Drinking green tea in tea shops

· Historical Buildings

· Visiting old Inns

· Brass items

· Clay pots

The kehwa stood to its name and you can have it sitting on the floor. Qissa Khwani bazaar used to flaunt various kehwa khanas, but with less travelers and lower profits, the numbers have diminished over the years.

Tourism & Economy: Future Of Peshawar

The east-west growth axis of Peshawar is based on the historic Grand Trunk Road which links Peshawar with Islamabad and Lahore. Every year, numerous local an international tourists visit Peshawar city.

The road is roughly paralleled by theM-1 motorway between Peshawar and Peshawar is to be entirely encircled by the Peshawar Ring Road to divert traffic away from the congested center of the city. Now the road is under renovation, with some sections available for traffic.

As part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, four special economic zones are to be developed in the region, with the government providing highways, electricity, power, water, and defense. The neighboring Hattar SEZ is planned to provide 30,000 people with jobs and is being built at a cost of around $200 million with completion scheduled in 2017.

Also, when we talk about the future of Peshawar city, we can’t ignore the fact that one of the great developers and builders, Bahria Town has enriched the city with its progressing roots. Yes, Bahria Town Peshawar is soon going to be launched. So, get your investments ready!