Peshawar is the capital of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Province in Northern Pakistan and with about two million inhabitants the sixth largest city in the country. In its immediate vicinity runs the main road to the Khyber Pass, the most important connection to Afghanistan, about 50 kilometers away. The historic old town was surrounded by a city wall with several gates, which are only partially preserved today. To prevent further decay and to make the old town more attractive for tourists, the Directorate for Archaeology and Museums developed a conservation concept for the entire complex and started measures to preserve individual buildings. Since 2018, a conservation project for two buildings – Gor Khatri Western Gate and Sethi House – is supported by the Gerda Henkel Foundation in its Patrimonies Funding Initiative. In an interview, we asked the project leader Dr. Abdul Samad about his goals, the course of the project and its significance for the future development of Peshawar.
L.I.S.A.: Dr. Samad, you oversee the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Northern Pakistan, with Peshawar as its capital. Could you briefly explain the historical importance of this region and give us an insight into Peshawar’s current political, cultural, and economic significance?
Dr. Samad: Khyber Pukhtunkhwa ’Province of Northern Pakistan has been highlighted in the media globally for bad news for a decade or so, but the region is steeped deep in history and culture. The region lies on the border with Afghanistan. Its capital Peshawar had been a transit-caravan trade route for merchants, pilgrims, and invaders for centuries and thus, Peshawar was a melting pot of cultures and religions.
Many may know how the city and this entire region suffered when its neighbor Afghanistan fell into the hands of religious extremists like Taliban who blew up 6th-century holy Buddhas at Bamiyan in March 2001. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorist network created a havoc with bomb blasts and suicide attacks in the region, especially in Peshawar. Many may not know that this is also the place from where Buddhism spread to China, Korea and elsewhere. The region may have a scarred recent history, but Lotus - a sacred symbol of purity used in Gandahara Art – is still grown here.
The violence marked Peshawar city’s and the entire province’ reputation as a historic place. This was a region where cultures and religions evolved. In the last couple of years, peace prevailed in most parts of the region after Pakistan’s military action against Taliban. Up to the present day, Peshawar city is South Asia’s oldest living city and still retains all the features and prints of a city having a rich history and culture as well as having a political and economic significance for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia, even today.