Naimal Khawar's ode to Peshawar

Naimal Khawar Abbasi took to Instagram to look back on her trip to Peshawar, a city bearing rich history and cultural influence. Her thread post was decorated with aesthetic snaps of herself and close ones, as well as key visuals from around the city. Naimal sported modest elegance in a muted shalwar kameez and dupatta outfit, posing with a hand tucking her drapery to the side.

Other captures glimpsed the intimately quieter, more close-knit parts of the city. The style of photography was more emotive in nature, capturing locks and windows that concealed privacy unknown to the camera's lens. One shot observed the gathering of men on the street from afar against a backdrop of closed shutters on a shop, while another shot captured the tradition of tea in saucers and metallic teapots.

"I think I went back in time. Strolling through the heart of Peshawar, where every street holds a story and each corner whispers a memory. The streets of Qissa Khawani Bazaar wrapped me in my childhood, taking me back to simpler times, familiar scents, and the memories of days gone by," Naimal reminisced in the caption.

Followers were quick to resonate with her vintage sentiments. "My city Peshawar. No matter where I am, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Peshawar, the city of flowers. And the people are very mehmaan-nawaz (hospitable)," one user expressed.

Others had many praises to sing in honour of Naimal's beauty. "The glowing, angelic eyes say it all," one user wrote. "Can anyone even be this pretty?" pondered another awestruck user.

The 30-year-old artist has a poetic soul, which is a sound conclusion to derive not just from her photographic skills but also from the fact that she paints as well. A pinned video depicts her carefully decorating a canvas with oil paints. The cool tones were streaked over a sketch of a feline at rest, adding a dream-like quality to the portrait she titled The Sleeping Women.