“There is nothing left in the house. We have no choice left but to raze it to the ground,” said Rahmat Khan, the owner. Khan spent the night outside the house with other members of the family watching his childhood abode burn.
When the fire broke out between the night of Tuesday and Wednesday, the building had a slim chance of survival. Located in the narrow lanes of Mohallah Mehr Matho, the house was nearly inaccessible to rescue and fire fighting teams.
According to Khan, the fire broke out around 3:30am due to a short circuit and spread to all three floors in a matter of minutes, aided by the fact that wood—Deodar—had been used in its construction.
Accurately dating the lost structure is a difficult task. “We don’t know when the house was constructed but it is at least around 100 years old,” he said.
Pointing to another such house, Khan said these buildings are mostly made of concrete and Deodar, a hallmark of the Sikh era. He wasn’t aware of the adjacent building’s age either but maintained it was constructed during the time when Sikhs and Hindus lived in the city pre-Partition.
Mohallah Mehr Matho is among several historic localities in the old walled city. It is home to dozens of Sikh-era havelis, some well-maintained while others in a state of decay. Most of these havelis were left behind by Hindus and Sikhs at the time of Partition and later purchased by locals.
“These buildings are the identity of the people of this city and they must be preserved for future generations,” said Khan. “If people who are aware of the historical significance of such structures attempt to maintain them, the city’s history can be preserved.”
Peshawar has thrived for centuries; it is a melting pot of several significant historic civilizations, however little or no efforts are made to conserve the city’s heritage sites.
“There should be a proper mechanism for preserving historic buildings and sites because they will attract tourists and visitors and generate revenue,” said Adil Zareef, who is in charge of the Sarhad Conservation Network.
There is an urgent need to conserve culturally important buildings because they present models of how architecture has evolved in the region to suit local requirements of materials, labour and climate, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2014.
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