Pakistan: Terrorism obliterates Peshawar's artisan trades

Pakistan's 'City of Artisans' sees number of tradesmen decline as the militancy has cut back on the number of tourists.

More than a decade of unrelenting terrorism has wrought serious damage to the artistic tradition of Peshawar, a city that in the times of Gandhara (1500 BCE to 1000 CE) was known as the "City of Artisans."

For centuries, artisans from many countries and kingdoms would visit Peshawar to present their artefacts at exhibitions. The city's name comes from the word "Pehsa-war," meaning "City of Artisans" in Urdu, some historians say.

Various bazaars in the city bear the names of various trades, like Misgran (copper engravers) and Sarafa (goldsmiths). The main bazaar, Qissa Khwani, became known as the "story-tellers' bazaar" because traders would gather to exchange stories of their homelands over tea.

Terrorism attacks city's legacy However, the wave of terrorism that hit Pakistan starting in 2003 has badly eroded the city's traditional strength in those artisanal trades.

In olden times, "the journey of almost every foreigner ... was incomplete without a visit to the traditional bazaars of Peshawar," Zahoor Durrani, a tour operator with several decades' experience.

Now, though, almost no foreign tourists come to Peshawar or to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), he said.

Gone are the days when someone passing through the Misgran bazaar would hear the rhythmic hammer blows of copper engravers decorating copper or brass utensils.

In Misgran, "most of the craftsmen have switched over to other businesses because of falling sales," Siddiq, a shopkeeper in the bazaar, said.

With a lack of visitors, the artisans have had to find other livelihoods, he said.

Lahori Gate, a hub of wood engravers, has fallen on similarly hard times. Where it once had a dozen stalls selling woodwork, only two remain.

Pottery also has suffered near-extinction in Peshawar.

"The biggest blow by terrorism on the traditional arts of Peshawar was the shutdown of the Peshawar Pottery shop," Dr. Adil Zareef, a social worker and head of the Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN), an NGO supporting the conservation of KP's heritage, said.

Peshawar Pottery's earthen glazed pots used to be presented as gifts for foreign dignitaries. The 150-year-old business, though, closed in 2011 because terrorism drove away customers.

Authorities recognise the problem Authorities recognise what Peshawar has lost and want to restore it.

"The KP government realises the damage inflicted by militancy and bombings on traditional arts of the region," Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, managing director of the KP Tourism Corporation (KPTC), said.

The KPTC has drawn up a plan to revive the dying artisanal trades by letting craftsmen set up stalls at the historic Gor Khatri site. Gor Khatri is perhaps the oldest citadel in the ancient city of Peshawar and Buddha's begging bowl was displayed there in the days when Buddhism flourished in the area.

Products created at Gor Khatri will go on exhibition nationwide, while the KPTC will arrange for tourist visits to the site, he added.

The KPTC is active on other fronts. It arranges events like the "Huner Mela" art exhibit at Nishtar Hall in Peshawar to allow craftspeople from across KP to promote their products, he said.

In 2011-2012, the KP government began offering interest-free loans to local artisans under the Riwaiti Hunarmand Rozgar Scheme, with seed money of Rs. 150m (US $1.5m), he added.