In the dark: Region’s oldest city keeps history behind closed doors

International Museum Day 2014 went by unmarked in the provincial capital.

PESHAWAR:

A deafening silence reigned over Peshawar museums on Sunday while the rest of the world celebrated International Museum Day.

The International Council of Museums first marked the date in 1977 to spread awareness about the importance of museums in the development of society. However, with Sunday being an official holiday, every museum across the city not only failed to celebrate the event, but also remained closed.

“Museums are an essential part of every nation,” said the curator at the museum of University of Peshawar, Nidaullah Sehrai. “They speak volumes about the history and culture of any region by preserving rich collections that would otherwise be lost.”

Sehrai, who has also served as the curator of the historic Peshawar Museum, recalls how they used to celebrate the day in previous years. “It would serve as a good source of learning for people,” he said, “We would organise various workshops and photo exhibitions, which are now a part of the UoP Museum. Maybe the day passed unmarked this year due to security concerns.”

We go a long way back

Built as an intricate amalgamation of colonial, Mughal and Buddhist architecture, the present building of Peshawar Museum was constructed in 1907 to house Gandharan artefacts that were excavated from sites like Shahji ki Dheri in Peshawar and Takht Bhai, Shahbaz Garhi and Jamal Garhi in Mardan.

The preservation of the museum, ironically, has also become a cause for concern, despite Sehrai’s claims that the provincial archaeology department is working hard for its maintenance. The 107-year-old building is home to thousands of Gandharan sculptures, coins, manuscripts, inscriptions, weapons, dresses, jewellery, paintings and handicrafts from Peshawar to Persia. Most of these artefacts date back thousands of years to the times of the Kushan Empire, when the city – then Purushapura – was at its pinnacle of glory.

Besides the historical Peshawar Museum, the museum at the Gor Gathri archaeological complex displays relics dug up from the nearby excavation site. Being the oldest part of Peshawar, Gor Gathri was the location of the great stupa of Kanishka. Moreover, famous historian Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani has established it as the place where the great tower of Buddha’s begging bowl used to stand.

The museum itself was established in 2006 by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. It is home to many antiquities unearthed from the Gor Gathri excavation and tells a dizzying narrative of the various dynasties that have held sway over the Peshawar Valley.

The main museum at UoP was set up in 1995, while the Pashto Cultural Museum opened in December 2012. The latter was created as a platform to display Pukhtun arts and crafts, and is the only initiative of its kind.

Despite the presence of such vibrant museums in the city and the near-incomprehensible amount of stories they could display, the one day designated to emphasise the importance of preserving history went by in silence.

“Our future will never be bright if we let our past remain shrouded in darkness,” said Professor Dr Ihsan Ali while speaking at an event arranged at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan. “The historical importance of this region can be measured by the fact that there are 22 museums in the country; out of which 13 are in K-P.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2014.