The September 11, 2001 terror attacks affected the whole world in one way or the other but some casualties remain largely unnoticed, and one of them is Pakistan’s ancient Peshawar city.
The foreign tourists, who used to visit Peshawar to peep into the ‘city of artisans’, now prefer to stay away due to the insecurity linked to the conservative district after 9/11. Though Peshawar has been safer than the close-by lawless tribal areas, it has been one of the most targeted by terrorists among the settled districts.
The unending law and order situation virtually ended the flow of foreigners and rich Pakistanis who used to visit Peshawar for shopping and recreation.
The Pakistan government also has been warning the foreigners from travelling to Peshawar to avoid being targeted by militants who often come from the tribal areas to hunt for their victims.
Once the capital of the great land of Gandhara, Peshawar was known as the ‘city of artisans’ because of its geographical importance and shelter it gave to various arts and artisans. Unfortunately, now it is fast losing its glory as majority of arts for which the city was famous are either dying or have vanished altogether. The name itself is derived from the word ‘Peh Shawar’ meaning ‘city of artisans or skilled men’.
In the olden times, professionals from various countries used to visit Peshawar — the gateway to South Asia and present their products at melas (exhibitions), a regular feature in the city at the time. Even big bazars of the ancient city are named after various skills like Misgran (copper bazar), Reti bazar (ironsmith), Bazgaran (steel utensils), Sarafa Bazaar (goldsmith) and Battair Bazan (birds market).
The historic Qissa Khawani bazaar (story teller’s bazaar), the commercial hub of the city, was not only famous for story-telling to the Qehwa-sipping (green tea) sipping travellers, who arrived from different regions for trade, but also for the availability of all kind of handmade daily use utensils.
The visit of almost every foreigner, even dignitaries, was incomplete without a visit to ‘Peshawar Pottery’ in Shah Wali Qatal area on their itinerary. They would purchase brilliantly tinted decoration pieces of special baked white clay. But a drop in their visits to the region in the wake of 9/11 ensued in closure of Peshawar Pottery, thus resulting in the death of the 150-year old art that was passed on through three generations.
Gone are the days when people, while passing through the historic Misgaran bazaar, heard rhythmical hammering strokes because of copper engraving, an ancient art of decorating copper or brass utensils.
“The art of copper engraving is vanishing rapidly due to change in people’s lifestyles,” observes Khawaja Safar Ali, an engraver who inherited the profession from his forefathers. The centuries old Bazaar-e-Misgran (coppersmith Bazaar) no more looks like a market of copper and brass merchants as most of the craftsmen have switched over to other businesses due to falling sales.
“Our family has been engaged in copper engraving profession for the last four generations. But my children are reluctant to carry on with this art due to economic hardships in the business,” says Khawaja Safar Ali, the younger brother of Khawaja Akhtar Ali, the winner of civil awards in 1980 and 1986 for his unique work in copper engraving.
Talking about the causes for plummeting business, Khawaja Safar Ali rues that people had started avoiding use of copper pans due to high prices. “Earlier, people used to give copper crockery to their daughters in dowry, but now they have stopped buying this expensive metal. Another reason behind the switch is that copper pots are now considered as outdated and old-fashioned,” he said.
Apart from copper, wood engraving is another art, which is also facing extinction due to various reasons. A visit to Lahori Gate in the vicinity of ancient monument of Gor Gatheri in Peshawar city shows a handful of artisans at a narrow alley engaged in preserving the dying art.
Shaukat Ali, a wood engraver, also attributed the reason to fall in demand of decorative wooden decoration pieces to price-hike, which has pushed patrons away. “Due to the lukewarm response of people, wood engravers are facing economic hardships and switching over to other professions to make both their ends meet,” he said.
Most of the artisans, he added, are continuing with the profession out of compulsion as they lack knowledge and skill of any other art. The Lahori Gate market is the only of its kind in the entire Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province and the number of shops amount to hardly a dozen, which tells the sad story of the art facing extinction.
“The plight of artisans is a matter of concern and the government is taking measures to keep alive different arts for which this region, especially Peshawar was popular,” said Provincial Minister for Culture, Mian Iftikhar Hussain.
Mr Hussain, who also holds the portfolio of information minister, added that the provincial government had planned to introduce culture as a separate subject in curriculum at the school, college and university level.
He said the step was aimed at educating people about different skills and impart them the dexterity of making several things that artisans produced in the past.
The government, he said, recently arranged a week-long ‘Huner Mela (art exhibition)’ at Nishter Hall with the objective of providing opportunity to artisans, both male and female, to display their products. The minister said that the provincial government was fully aware of the plight of artisans and the importance of different arts.