Qissa Khawani Bazaar
Encyclopedia
The Kissa Khwani Bazaar (or 'Market of Story-tellers' ) is a bazaar
of Peshawar
, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (then N.-W.F.) province Gazetteer, traveller Lowell Thomas
and Peshawar's British commissioner Herbert Edwardes called it "the Piccadilly
of Central Asia
".
Some of the business of Kissa Kahani Bazaar are bamboo
, sweets
, faluda and silver
utensils which are still there and active. One of them are Khan Muhammad Bhramchari Bamboo (Now Maqsood Bamboo) Shop and Lahore Sweet House.
There are also several publishing houses of books in this bazaar with a long tradition of publishing Pashto
, Urdu and Persian
books. Saba, Fazl and Danish publishing houses are examples of such publishers.
It was the site of a massacre
when British soldiers fired upon a crowd of unarmed protesters in 1930.
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (then N.-W.F.) province Gazetteer, traveller Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
and Peshawar's British commissioner Herbert Edwardes called it "the Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
".
Some of the business of Kissa Kahani Bazaar are bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, sweets
SweetS
was a Japanese idol group. Put together through auditions, the group debuted in 2003 on the avex trax label. Although the group met minor success, they disbanded after three years with the release of a final single in June 2006....
, faluda and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
utensils which are still there and active. One of them are Khan Muhammad Bhramchari Bamboo (Now Maqsood Bamboo) Shop and Lahore Sweet House.
There are also several publishing houses of books in this bazaar with a long tradition of publishing Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
, Urdu and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
books. Saba, Fazl and Danish publishing houses are examples of such publishers.
It was the site of a massacre
Qissa Khwani bazaar massacre
The massacre at the Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar, British India on 23 April 1930 was a defining moment in the non-violent struggle to drive the British out of India...
when British soldiers fired upon a crowd of unarmed protesters in 1930.
Notable persons
- Shahrukh KhanShahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
's father was from Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Dilip KumarDilip KumarDilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
(Yousaf Khan) , a Pashtun Indian actor, was also born here.
See also
- 19 April 2010 Peshawar bombing19 April 2010 Peshawar bombingThe 19 April 2010 Peshawar bombing was a suicide bombing that occurred in a marketplace in Peshawar, Pakistan on April 19, 2010. At least 25 people died. The blast, which happened in Qissa Khawani market, killed Dost Muhammad, who was the local leader of Jamaat-e-Islami and was leading a protest...
- Kissa Kahani bazaar massacreQissa Khwani bazaar massacreThe massacre at the Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar, British India on 23 April 1930 was a defining moment in the non-violent struggle to drive the British out of India...