Families, lawmakers go on Peshawar tour

As part of its measures to highlight the historical and heritage sites in and around the 1,000-year-old city, a tour of several such sites in and around Peshawar was organised on Sunday.

Women lawmakers of the provincial assembly, prominent Pashto singer Laila Khan, veteran actress Shazma Haleem and several families participated in the city tour, which had been organised by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (K-PCTA).

The tour commenced from the Peshawar Museum where participants were briefed about the Gandhara civilization, Buddhist archaeology, sculptures and other antiquities which have been found in and around what is arguably South Asia’s oldest living city.

Tourists visited Masjid Mahabat Khan, the heritage trail, Sethi House, Gor Khatri apart from museums, temples, historical fire brigade and other historical places in the area. During the tour, a traditional rabab concert was held at Sethi House for the visiting families. Thereafter, the visitors were presented with some traditional food at the Namak Mandi Food Street.

K-PCTA DG Kamran Ahmed said that Peshawar and the rest of the province will soon be introduced to the world as a tourist destination.

Explaining the purpose of the city tour, he said, was to highlight the importance of historical places in the provincial capital. Such tours will soon be organized in the tribal districts of the province as well to promote tourism in these districts as well, he added.

The participants said the tour not only provides an opportunity for entertainment but they also learnt a lot about the history of Peshawar.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2020.