When it comes to the heritage of Pakistan, how can we forget or ignore the city of Peshawar?
In the recent past, this city has been showcased as a danger zone by media and I think it is high time to talk about the heritage of Peshawar before its image is further distorted and ruined and Pakistanis forget the true essence of this place.
Among many other heritage sites in Peshawar, the Mosque of Mahabat Khan is one of the gems hidden in the city. It is an amazing architecture and piece of heritage. If you wish to see this Mosque you can take your way to the Old Bazaar of the old city of Peshawar and the locals would warmly guide you to this place. You can take the Kachahry Road to Chowk Yadgar, park your car there and walk west into the Bazaar and you will see the Mosque which is at the highest point of the street.
This mosque is a structure that stands today in a slender ally of the Andar Shehr Bazaar of the old city and trust me, it’s still a strong reflection of Mughal eras. Similar to Lahore, this city was also festooned by the Mughals, but many of the monuments have vanished due to carelessness and I’m afraid that other monuments which are surviving until now, might meet a similar fate.
Historic references tell us that this Mosque of Mahabat Khan was built in 1670 A.D, during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mahabat Khan, the then Governor of Peshawar built it. As the Mosque was financed and funded by Mahabat Khan and that is why the name got associated with him like many other mosques which we see are named after the ones who have financed or built them.
The Mosque has a narrow but massive entrance that leads to a large prayer courtyard, in some way like the Mariam Zamani Mosque in Lahore. In the middle of the courtyard is a cool blue tiled ablution pond, with a row of rooms on sides, and a main prayer hall towards the western side. As you take a look at this mosque you will at once judge that it is a Mughal era Mosque as the embellishments and the decorative motives speak of that.
This mosque is a structure that stands today in a slender ally of the Andar Shehr Bazaar of the old city and trust me, it’s still a strong reflection of Mughal eras. Similar to Lahore, this city was also festooned by the Mughals, but many of the monuments have vanished due to carelessness and I’m afraid that other monuments which are surviving until now, might meet a similar fate
The main hall or the prayer chamber of the mosque is generously decorated with floral work and calligraphy just like the Wazir Khan Mosque or the Mariam Zamani Mosque which are in Lahore and known for their exquisiteness.
The Mosque of Mahabat Khan has three domes, while two tall minarets stand on each edge of the main hall. What a beauty hidden among the shops just like the Golden Mosque in Lahore.
Similar to what happened in Lahore to the Mughal era buildings after the downfall of Mughals, when many of the precious monuments were looted and destroyed, the same was the fate of this very mosque too. During the Sikh rule this mosque could not escape the damage which the Sikhs made to it. According to historic references the precious blue tiles and ornamental plates of the Mosque were viciously removed.
A ruthless fact given in historical accounts is that during the appointment of General Avitabile as the Governor of Peshawar, every day he would have a few local men thrown from the top of the minaret of the Mosque to “teach a lesson to the unruly tribesmen” and this cruelty could not end. His brutality has passed into the folklore of the walled city, for naughty children are often warned of the wrath of “Abu Tabela”, a local corruption of Avitabile.
References also narrate that the domes of the minarets were destroyed by fire in 1898 A.D. during the Sikh Rule. Later those minarets were saved by the people of the area. It is also said that the along with the minarets the Mosque was almost wrecked to the ground during the great fire of June 1898 which stormed through the bazaar of Peshawar where this mosque is located and later during the British rule, the mosque was rebuilt. I guess the British were kind enough to rebuild the mosque.
In 1970 when General Yahya Khan visited the Mosque, he issued directives to replace the red bricks with marble slabs in prayer hall along with the walls and same was the time when an additional ablution place was also constructed.
One more thing is also common with the Mughal era monuments here in Lahore and Peshawar which is encroachments. According to the people there, the mosque is covered with almost 41 shops and these encroachments are damaging the fabric of the mosque.
I got to know that the Auqaf Department Peshawar had issued notices to shopkeepers to vacate shops surrounding the historical 17th century Masjid Mahabat Khan and the mosque will also be conserved soon. I hope this plan is executed in order to save the heritage of Peshawar. I hope once this gem is conserved it will be converted into a tourist spot as well and I think tourism is much needed at the moment in Pakistan.
Let me tell you a little about Peshawar as well. It is a unique city which is located in a valley near the eastern end of the historic Khyber Pass, close to the border with Afghanistan. Peshawar’s recorded history dates back to at least 539 BCE, making it the oldest city in Pakistan and one of the oldest in South Asia. Peshawar was the capital of the ancient Kushan Empire, and was home to what may have been the tallest building in the ancient world, the Kanishka Stupa.
This city was once a walled city like Lahore and still holds several gems of the past and now a heritage trail has also been developed there for the tourists. Bala Hisar is the most popular mark of Peshawar and is the highest place of the city even today.
With such a rich history, Peshawar should’ve been a tourist hub, but unfortunately, it got popular for the negative reasons. I hope that there’ll soon be measures taken to improve the heritage places in Peshawar along with encouraging tourism.
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