y guarded citadel that
consisted of high walls. In the 21st century, only remnants of the walls
remain, but the houses and havelis continue to structures of significance. Most
of the houses are constructed of unbaked bricks, with the incorporation of
wooden structures for protection against earthquakes, with many composed of
wooden doors and latticed wooden balconies. Numerous examples of the city's old
architecture can still be seen in areas such as Sethi Mohallah. In the old
city, located in inner-Peshawar, many historic monuments and bazaars exist in
the 21st century, including the Mohabbat Khan Mosque, Kotla Mohsin Khan, Chowk
Yadgar and the Qissa Khawani Bazaar. Due to the damage caused by rapid growth
and development, the old walled city has been identified as an area that
urgently requires restoration and protection. Specifically in regard to this
urgency, the NWFP government has set up a Heritage Fund and has established a
documentation centre to initiate "a process of cataloguing and protection
through participation of the private sector." Author, Dr Raj Wali Shah
Khattak, a former director of the Pushto Academy and a senior academic at the University
of Peshawar, has written in his book,
An Intangible Heritage: The Walled
City of Peshawar
:
To protect the inheritance of the walled city of Peshawar, the establishment
of a heritage centre should be a priority. The centre should have audio and
visual documentation equipment so that every aspect of culture and life, be it
folklore, music, types of instruments, stories, etc., can be recorded.
Moreover, visual documentation of customs and traditions should include
marriage functions, clothing, lifestyle, manners and habits. Research into the
oral nature of life in the bazars and streets, both during the day and at
night, should be carried out to preserve this historical record. Fairs,
festivals and traditions, both secular and religious, should be included in
