15 best Places to Visit In Peshawar:
Introduction:
Peshawar city is the capital of province KPK. Peshawar is situated near the “Bara River”. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. Peshawar had taken a great role in terms of trade between West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. Peshawar is connected with Afghanistan through a Khyber Pass. It is also connected with Karachi through N—5, which is the biggest highway in Pakistan.
Peshawar is also known as “the City of Flowers”. Peshawar’s the majority population of Pushtun. Mostly 97% of the population speak Pashto, while others speak Hindko.
Peshawar is a colorful city. If you are coming on tour to Peshawar from a city like Lahore you will see the roads and surroundings are clean. The literacy rate of Peshawar is about 61%.
There are Historical places in Peshawar; like Qilla Bala Hisar, Qisa khawani bazaar, Gor Khatri, Namak Mandi, Bab-e-Khyber, Jamrud Fort, Masjid Mahabat Khan and Shahi Bagh etc.
The City Of Peshawar:
Peshawar city is one of the biggest cities in Pakistan. It is a highly populated city and it is also a relatively prosperous city. Peshawar is the cultural and economic HUB of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As for Education and jobs, Peshawar is taking a great role.
Meaning of Peshawar:
The word Peshawar is derived from the word, Persian ( Pesh—Awardan). The meaning of ‘Pesh—Awardan’ is “the first coming city” or “the first Arrival”. It was named from its old name Parashawar by “Mughal emperor Akbar’.
Location:
Peshawar is located in the province KPK. Peshawar is situated near the Bara River.
Language:
Pashto is the majority language of Peshawar. Most of the population of Peshawar speak Pashto. While other languages are also spoken in Peshawar like, Hindko and Urdu.
The population of Peshawar:
The population of Peshawar in the 1998 census is about 982,816. And the census of 2017 is about 1,970,042, which is a change of growth of 50.11%.
| Peshawar – Historical Population Data | ||
| Year | Population | Growth Rate |
| 2021 | 2,273,000 | 3.18% |
| 2020 | 2,203,000 | 3.28% |
| 2019 | 2,133,000 | 3.29% |
| 2018 | 2,065,000 | 3.72% |
| 2017 | 1,991,000 | 3.70% |
| 2016 | 1,920,000 | 3.67% |
| 2015 | 1,852,000 | 3.70% |
Foods of Peshawar:
There are many foods which are present in Peshawar. But the famous foods of Peshawar is below;
Their traditional recipes include chapli kebab, fried fish, and a rice-based dish with meat and raisins and caramelized carrots known as Kabuli pulao top the list.
History of Peshawar:
Peshawar is an ancient city whose history goes back to 2500 years. It is the oldest city. Peshawar sits in a valley, therefore, in the past Peshawar was known as” valley Peshawar”. It is also so important with Gandhara art. Most of the archeological Treasures of Pakistan are in Gandhara. Gandhara is the area around Peshawar which became particularly associated with Buddhism. Peshawar was known for its massive 16 gates known as Rampura Gate, Reti, Kachehri, Asamai, Kabuli, Bajouri, Dabgari, Ramdas, Beriskian, Sard Chah, Sirki, Kohati, Yakka tooth, Ganj, Lahori, Hashtnagri
15 best Places to visit in Peshawar:
1) MASJID-E-MAHABAT KHAN:
Masjid MAhabat Khan is one of the historical and beautiful mosques in Peshawar. Without seeing Masjid mahabat khan, the tour /visit is incomplete. The famous masjid was built by the Mughal governor Mahabat Khan in 1630. It has rooms on the side and a pond in the courtyard.
Visit Time: 4 AM- 10 PM daily
2) QILLA BALA HISAR:
The beautiful place to visit in Peshawar is Qilla Bala Hissar. Which is the historical place, it is very wide and its walls are very high. Its height of the walls is about 95 feet from the ground. According to tradition, it was built by the Mughal emperor Zaheer-ud-Din between 1519 and 1524. According to another tradition, it already existed and was only repaired by Zaheer-ud-Din. On one side of it , famous masjid mahabat khan and on the other side is the Qissa khawani bazar.
If one comes to visit Peshawar and does not see this fort above the siege, then perhaps he has not seen Peshawar at all.
Pakistani citizens can gain entry with their CNIC card.
Today, Bala Hisar remains open to Pakistanis on Saturdays and Sundays.
3)CHOWK YADGAR:
Another attractive place in Peshawar is Chowk Yaadgar.It was nominated in the memory of Colonel Hastings, in 1969. It is located in the middle of the city. On one side it is near Gt road and on the other side it is near Qissa khwani Bazar.When Pakistan became independent, this chowk Yaadgar was delegated in the memory of 1956 war between Pakistan and India.
There is always a bazaar around it, where there are crowds of people.
4) QISSA KHAWANI BAZAR:
It is called Qissa khawani bazar because in the olden days people used to come here in caravans and finish their work at night and tell stories to each other, that’s why it is become famous by Qissa khawani bazar.This is its Historical status.And it is the oldest bazar in Peshawar where old and rotten houses still exist.
There is delicious food here and it is especially famous for its ‘green tea’.
5) SETHI HOUSE:
It is a wooden house, with walls, windows, and doors all made of wood. It was made by sethian. This sethi house was built in 1884. Sethi lived in Punjab when sikhian invaded Punjab. So he migrated from Punjab to Peshawar. Here he expanded his business with central Asia and remote areas and made a lot of money. And he has done a lot of charity work, such as building, mosques and roads, etc. And he also built for himself a beautiful and luxurious house which has become a historical heritage.
6) GHANTA GHAR/ CUNNINGHAM CLOCK TOWER:
Ghanta Ghar is a famous place in Peshawar. It was built in 1900 by caning ham.
It was built in memory of the diamond jomly of the queen of Great Britain. It was named after the governor. In the old days, there were Ghanta Ghar in every city, especially in the historic city, because in the old days, not everyone had a clock, so they would come to Ghanta Ghar and look at the time and set their system of the time. That’s why there are clocks all around it.
7) PESHAWAR MUSEUM:
The building belongs to the 18th century, one can find a collection of Buddhist artwork dating from the ancient Gandahar Empire. The current collection has almost 14,168 items based on gandhara, Greco-Buddhist, kushan, Parthian and indo-scythian life.
The collection is divided in four main sections:
- Gandahar
- Coins
- Islamic
- Ethnological
8) BAB-E-KHYBER:
It is considered a gateway to India from central asia. It was built on 11 june 1964 by military governor Ayub khan. Khyber pass is at distance 16 km from Peshawar, capital of Khyber pakhtunkhwa.Its height is 16 feet and width is 24 feet.Both the pillars contain separate doors. Two cannons are also placed on both the pillars.This pass was constructed by white stones, taken from the hill of the Khyber agency. There is a wall south of this pass, which is constructed by marbles. This wall contains stories of different invaders, Rise of Islam in this area,geography and history of Khyber and history of Pakistan movement. Babe Khyber picture, on 10 rupees currency note. It is the passage of Pakistan and Afghanistan border.
9) SADAR BAZAR:
Sadar bazar is another attractive and famous place/bazar in Peshawar. Sadar Bazar is very wide, and inside the Bazar, there are more bazaars i.e. Day To Night Bazaar, Sha Posh bazar etc.Shopping of every thing in sadar bazar is less expensive.
10) ITWAR BAZAR:
Another famous Bazar In Peshawar is Itwar Bazar. It is called Itwar bazar because it is open every week on sunday. There are very beautiful things for Shopping. In Itwar bazar, there are famous Kabar and better quality Kabar. It is also famous for its high quality Kabar.
11) JAMRUD FORT:
Jamrud Fort is another attractive fort in Peshawar. If you want to visit inside the fort, you don’t visit the inside,without any high Permission. But don’t worry you can visit it from outside. Jamrud fort is near the babe Khyber. From Babe Khyber, you can easily see the jamrud fort.
Nowadays jamrud fort is under the control of security forces. You can visit it from outside.
12) ISLAMIA COLLEGE PESHAWAR:
Islamia college is the most famous and popular instutient in Peshawar. It was built in 1913 by the Hard working of Quaid-E-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. At That time, those who got education from this college, they contributed much to the progress and prosperity of the country. Islamia college is one of the most popular places to visit in Peshawar.
13) Khalid bin waleed Bagh:
There are many gardens in Peshawar but Khalid bin Wleed Bagh is very beautiful and attractive. It is also called Company bagh. Khalid bin waleed bagh is located at the center of saddar. It gives us the Mughal expressiveness with big trees and rose bushes. Therefore, this park is a must-see park for history lovers as well as for nature lovers.
14) Shahi bagh:
Shahi bagh is the largest garden in Peshawar. It covers 100 acres. Its 2nd name is Royal-park. Shahi bagh gives us the opportunity to see the Quaid-e-Azam memorials. Shahi bagh is also famous for political and social gatherings. Therefore, it is the most visited place by tourists.
15) sardaryab:
The most amazing place in Peshawar is sardaryab. It has a small picnic place. Actually sardaryab is a river .It is famous for eating fresh fish. There is a park for men, and many hotels. This place is best for families to visit. Therefore, one can spend quality time.
References:
https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/22051/peshawar/population