 | Pakistan Peshawar Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 10 |  |
 | |  |  | Peshawar: City of Spies..Peshawar | |  |  | |  |
Capital of the North-West Frontier Province, NW Pakistan. A road and rail center near the famed Khyber Pass, Peshawar is an important military and communications center and the major depot for trade with Afghanistan. Local handicrafts and farm produce from the surrounding fertile agricultural valley are sold in the many bazaars of the city. Industries include food processing, and the manufacture of steel, cigarettes, firearms, textiles, pharmaceuticals, furniture, and paper and board. The city, once called Purushapura, was the capital of the ancient Greco-Buddhist center of Gandhara. The Kushan leader Kanishka (2d cent. a.d.) made it his capital. For centuries, it was the target of successive Afghan, Persian, and Mongol invaders. It was named Peshawar [frontier town] by the Mughal emperor Akbar. A favorite residence (18th cent.) of the Afghan Durrani rulers, it was taken by the Sikhs (early 19th cent.), from whom the British captured it in 1848. It became an important outpost of British India and was a base for British military operations against Pathan tribes. During the decade-long Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-89) it was the center of relief operations for Afghan refugees and the command center of the coalition of guerrilla groups intent on expelling the Soviet forces from Afghanistan. Peshawar has a museum containing Buddhist relics and Gandhara sculpture, a 2d-century Buddhist stupa bearing an inscription by Kanishka, and a university (1950) with several affiliated colleges.The land of Pathans is as handsome as its sons and as charming as its daughters. Hospitality reigns in this land of contrast and beauty. Peshawar has enjoyed the reputation of being the center of attraction for tourists since centuries. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Peshawar: MAHABAT KHAN MOSQUE...PESHAWAR | | | | | |
The Mahabat Khan Mosque is located on the narrow street of Andarshar Bazaar, inside the Peshawar City. To get there, either take the Kachairy Road to Chowk Yadgar, park there and walk west 150 meters into the Bazaar; or park diagonally across the southeast end of Balahisar Fort on Hakim Ullah Jan Road, and walk up the alley of Andarshar Bazaar. The mosque is at the highest point on the street. The mosque was built in mid 17th century, during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan. Mahabat Khan was governor of the Peshawar region at the time, and he financed the building of the mosque, thus the eponym. It is a beautiful mosque in the traditional Mughal style. Set among the gold and silversmith shops, its narrow but massive entrance leads to a large prayer courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard is a cool blue tiled ablution pond, with a row of rooms on either side, and a main prayer hall towards the western side. The main hall is lavishly decorated inside and covered by three fluted domes. Two tall minars (towers) rise on either side of the main hall. In 1826, the Sikhs had to fight their way to Peshawar and let loose a reign of terror, which continued with the appointment of General Avitabile, an Italian mercenary, as the governor of Peshawar. Every day before breakfast, he would have a few local men hurled from the top of the minar of the Mahabat Khan Mosque to "teach a lesson to the unruly tribesmen". His cruelty has passed into the folklore of the walled city, for naughty children are often warned of the wrath of Abu Tabela, a local corruption of 'Avitabile'. The top domes of the minars were destroyed by the Sikh rulers, and later rebuilt by British. Today it is well maintained by the faithfuls. Remember to take off your shoes before entering the mosque. Ensure that you are clothed to cover your arms and legs. Also cover your head. Leave a Comment
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on March 23, 2006
Pakistan
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