The Qissa Khwani Bazaar ( ps, قصه خوانۍ بازار, ur, ; ''"Story-tellers market'') is a

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, the capital of the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Background

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...

) province

Gazetteer A gazetteer is a geographical index or directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup, social statistics and physical features of a country, region, or co ...

, traveller

Lowell Thomas Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, actor, broadcaster, and traveler, best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the Cinerama widescreen ...

and Peshawar's British commissioner

Herbert Edwardes Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes DCL (12 November 1819 – 23 December 1868) was a British administrator, soldier, and statesman active in the Punjab region of British India. He is best known as the "Hero of Multan" for his pivotal ...

called it "the

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

History

On 23 April 1930, nearly 400 unarmed protesters were shot dead by soldiers of the British colonial government in the

Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre The Qissa Khwani massacre ( ps, د قصه خوانۍ بازار خوڼۍ پېښه) in Peshawar, British India (modern day Pakistan) on 23 April 1930 was one of the defining moments of the independence movement in British India. It was the first ...

. While the British acknowledged killing 179 people. The massacre triggered protests across

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

and catapulted the newly formed ''

Khudai Khidmatgar Khudai Khidmatgar ( ps, خداۍ خدمتګار; literally "servants of God") was a predominantly Pashtun nonviolent resistance movement known for its activism against the British Raj in colonial India; it was based in the country's North-West ...

'' movement into prominence. In 2010, 25 people were killed in a bomb attack at a protest against electricity shortages. The market was again targeted by militants in 2013, who used a 220 kg bomb to carry out an attack that killed over 40 people, and damaged a nearby

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

as well as set fire to several historic wooden buildings. On 4 March 2022, 63 people were killed and 196 others wounded in a

suicide attack A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...

at a mosque during Jumma prayer. Kissa Khwani Bazaar is famous for Chai and Qehwa houses, and also because several famous Indian movie actors have origins and family ties in the region. Indian film actor

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...

was born in Qissa Khwani Bazaar on or about 11 December 1922. He belonged to Awan family. Actor

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

and his uncle, actor

Trilok Kapoor Trilok Kapoor (11 February 1912 23 September 1988) was an Indian actor and a member of the Kapoor family who worked in Bollywood films. He was the younger brother of actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Early and personal life Trilok was born as the seco ...

were also born in the area. Actor

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

's family still lives in the area.

Gallery

File:Qissa_Khwani_Bazaar,_Peshawar,_Pakistan_-_panoramio_-_franek2_(2).jpg File:Qissa_Khwani_Bazaar,_Peshawar,_Pakistan_-_panoramio_-_franek2.jpg File:Peshawarbazaar.jpg File:Afghan Building, Peshawar.JPG, Afghan Building File:Old Qissa Khwani2.jpg File:Old Qissa Khwani233.jpg, Some older buildings have been renovated and altered Image:BritishIndianArmysoldiers.jpg, British Indian Army soldiers in Peshawar during the 1930 massacre

Notable people

Surinder Kapoor Surinder Kapoor (23 December 1925 – 24 September 2011) was an Indian film producer. He produced Bollywood films and also served as President of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India from 1995 to 2001. He was born in Peshawar, British ...

, father of actor

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...

* Meer Taj Muhammad Khan, father of

, Indian actor *

Nasir Khan Nasir Khan may refer to: * Nasir Khan (actor), Indian film actor *Nasir Khan (Afghan cricketer), born 1998, Afghan cricketer *Nasir Khan (Pakistani cricketer), born 1975, Pakistani cricketer *Nasir Khan (FATA politician), Pakistani politician * Nas ...

References

Bazaars in Pakistan Economy of Peshawar Shopping malls in Pakistan Tourist attractions in Peshawar {{Peshawar-stub

Background

History

Gallery

Notable people

See also

References