About Khyber

This is the Bab-e-Khyber, the famous Khyber Gate built in 1964 at the Jamrud Fort in the Khyber Pass. For centuries the Khyber Pass has been used by aggressors heading for India. Darius the Great of Persia passed through here in 6th Century BC to add the Indus Valley to his empire. Alexander the Great followed two centuries later on his way to conquer India. And a succession of Afghan Rulers also cmae through the Khyber Pass to subdue Pakistan and India. In 1842, 16,000 British and Indian troops were killed by the Afghans and Pashtuns. And as recently as the 1980s when Afghanistan was occupied by the Soviets, the Americans and the Pakistanis used the Khyber Pass to supply the Afghan guerrillas who finally defeated the Soviets and established the Taliban administration. I was in the Khyber Pass only one week before the infamous 911 incident, which I saw on TV in Kashgar after crossing the Karakoram Range enroute to China. We all know what happened to the Taliban after that, and I'm sure this will not be the last war that the Khyber Pass will see.


BALAHISAR


The name Balahisar is of Persian origin and most likely given by Afghan Ruler Taimur Shah Durrani (1773 - 1793). The origin of the fort is not clear, but it is as old as the city itself, 2000 to 2500 years. The main entrance faces the old route to India. A Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang, visited Peshawar in 630 AD, and he has described it as a royal residence of the city. According to Dr Dani, a channel of the old Bara River surrounded it once. Historically Peshawar has always been a city of strategic importance, frequently mentioned as the seat of Ghandhara civilization. Subuktagin captured Peshawar in 988 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni in 1001 AD, Ghori in 1179 AD, and then came Babar in the 15 century and established the Mughal empire. Afghan King Sher Shah Suri destroyed the fort after the overthrow of Babar's son Humayun. Upon his return Humayun rebuilt the fort.Ahmed Shah Durrani of Afghanistan finally took it from the Mughals and made it a residential palace. His son Taimur made Peshawar his winter capital. After his death in 1793, Shah Zaman lost it to the Sikhs in 1834, who destroyed it. Then Sher Singh on orders from his father Ranjeet Singh, rebuilt the fort. An inscription from the Sikh period still survives on a gate. The British annexed Punjab in 1849 after defeating Ranjeet Singh's son, and extended their rule to Peshawar. At the time Balahisar was a mud fort, the British reinforced it with bricks and gave it the present day look. Till 1947, the fort also housed the treasury.On 14 August 1947, the Pakistan flag hoisted over Balahisar, and the following year it became the Headquarters of the Frontier Corps (FC). A small museum has also been opened inside the Fort, which has a nice display of weapons, dresses, and photographs relating to the FC. The Balahisar Fort has been opened to tourism, however prior appointment is a necessary convenience. It would be prudent to take a conducted tour, preferably through Sehrai Travel & Tours details below

MAHABAT KHAN MOSQUE

The mosque was built in mid 17th century, during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan. Mahabat Khan was governor of the Peshawar region at the time, and he financed the building of the mosque, thus the eponym. It is a beautiful mosque in the traditional Mughal style. Set among the gold and silversmith shops, its narrow but massive entrance leads to a large prayer courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard is a cool blue tiled ablution pond, with a row of rooms on either side, and a main prayer hall towards the western side. The main hall is lavishly decorated inside and covered by three fluted domes. Two tall minars (towers) rise on either side of the main hall. In 1826, the Sikhs had to fight their way to Peshawar and let loose a reign of terror, which continued with the appointment of General Avitabile, an Italian mercenary, as the governor of Peshawar. Every day before breakfast, he would have a few local men hurled from the top of the minar of the Mahabat Khan Mosque to "teach a lesson to the unruly tribesmen". His cruelty has passed into the folklore of the walled city, for naughty children are often warned of the wrath of Abu Tabela, a local corruption of 'Avitabile'. The top domes of the minars were destroyed by the Sikh rulers, and later rebuilt by British. Today it is well maintained by the faithfuls.Remember to take off your shoes before entering the mosque. Ensure that you are clothed to cover your arms and legs. Also cover your head. The Mahabat Khan Mosque is located on the narrow street of Andarshar Bazaar, inside the Peshawar City. To get there, either take the Kachairy Road to Chowk Yadgar, park there and walk west 150 meters into the Bazaar; or park diagonally across the southeast end of Balahisar Fort on Hakim Ullah Jan Road, and walk up the alley of Andarshar Bazaar. The mosque is at the highest point on the street.

PESHAWAR MUSEUM

The Victorian Memorial Hall was originally the built as a center for cultural and social activities of British military and civil officers. However, when the archeological mission started excavations in various parts of NWFP, the British realized the necessity for a museum and converted this monumental building to a museum in 1906. The red brick building of the Peshawar Museum is like a Mughal monument from the outside and a basilica from the inside. The style is typically Curzonian, amalgamated with oriental features. The interior consists of a long hall with side galleries on the ground floor and galleries on the first floor. At present there are four main galleries: The Gandhara Gallery houses a major collection of the museum. These artifacts come from different Buddhist sites in the Mardan District, and all the episodes on display are related to Buddhism. At the entrance of the Gallery is huge painting depicting the Gandharan Empire. The Muslim Gallery contains handwritten copies of the holy Quran, calligraphic specimens, manuscripts and Mughal miniature paintings. The Ethnological Gallery contains the dresses, weapons, household objects, musical instruments and dummies from different tribes of NWFP. The most interesting collection comes from Kafaristan in Chitral, it consists of wooden effigees of men and women. The Coins Gallery displays the coins of Muslim rulers of India and Indo-Greek rulers. Some specimen seals and jewels are also on display.

SHOPING

Peshawar offers an intensely interesting and varied shopping experience. The bazaars offer not only a wide range of merchandise but also a picturesque and entertaining arena to explore. These lively bazaars are representative of the everyday life and you can find an amazing number of people conversing in three to four languages at the same time. By far, the most interesting tour would be that of a bazaar in Peshawar. Most of these colorful bazaars are in the old city where you find a labyrinth of narrow lanes, a mosaic of traders, travelers, Pathan tribesmen and Afghans. Shops are generally open every day, except during Friday prayers between noon and 3:00pm. A detailed tour of these bazaars would take no less than a full day.

KHYBER BAZAR

The bus terminal for the Khyber Pass and Tribal Agencies is located here. Kabuli Gate, one of the walled city's 16 gates is at the end of the Khyber Bazaar. Though the gate and the walls have disappeared for the most part, some remnants are still visible. Doctors, lawyers and dentists mostly occupy Khyber Bazaar. There are a number of inexpensive hotels with reasonable room service and air-conditioning.

QISA KHAWANI BAZAR

Derives its name from olden times when it served as the news center for the area. It was a place where news and views were exchanged and professional raconteurs enthralled large audiences of passers-by. A walk down this bazaar is still an exciting experience. Although the storytellers are long gone the street still throbs with activity. Colorful fruit-stalls and sweetshops compete for your attention and wayside restaurants sell a bewildering variety of kebabs, grilled meats and freshly baked flat bread. The aroma of tea and cardamom fill the air mingled with sandalwood, incense and tobacco. In the mid-19th century, British Commissioner in Peshawar, Sir Edward Herbert described Qissa Khawani Bazaar as 'the Piccadilly of Central Asia'. Towering over the street are tall narrow buildings with intricately carved balconies and window frames enclosing wooden shutters. Most of the cheaper hotels can also be found here.

Leader Of The Nations

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Urdu: محمد علی جناح Audio (help·info); Gujarati: મુહમ્મદ અલી જીનાહ); December 25, 1876 – September 11, 1948), a 20th century politician and statesman, is regarded as the founder of Pakistan. He served as leader of The Muslim League and Pakistan's first Governor-General. He is officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam (Urdu: قائد اعظم — "Great Leader") and Baba-e-Qaum (بابائے قوم) ("Father of the Nation"). His birthday is a national holiday in Pakistan. Jinnah rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress initially expounding ideas of Hindu-Muslim unity and helping shape the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress; he also became a key leader in the All India Home Rule League. He proposed a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims in a self-governing India.
Jinnah, advocating the Two-Nation Theory, embraced the goal of creating a separate state for Muslims as per the Lahore Resolution. The League won most reserved Muslim seats in the elections of 1946. After the British and Congress backed out of the Cabinet Mission Plan Jinnah called for a Direct Action Day to achieve the formation of Pakistan. The direct action[5][6] by the Muslim League and its Volunteer Corps, resulted in massive rioting in Calcutta[6][7] between Muslims and Hindus/Sikhs.[8][7] As the Indian National Congress and Muslim League failed to reach a power sharing formula for united India, it prompted both the parties and the British to agree to independence of Pakistan and India. As the first Governor-General of Pakistan, Jinnah led efforts to rehabilitate millions of refugees, and to frame national policies on foreign affairs, security and economic development. He died a year after Pakistan's formation in September 1948.

Jinnah was born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai[9] in, some believe, Wazir Mansion,[10] Karachi District, of lower Sindh. However, this is disputed as old textbooks mention Jhirk as his place of birth. Sindh had earlier been conquered by the British and was subsequently grouped with other conquered territories for administrative reasons to form the Bombay Presidency of British India. Although his earliest school records state that he was born on October 20, 1875, Sarojini Naidu, the author of Jinnah's first biography, gives the date as ”December 25, 1876”. The latter date is now officially accepted as his birthday.
Jinnah was the eldest of seven children born to Mithibai and Jinnahbhai Poonja. His father, Jinnahbhai (1857–1901), was a prosperous Gujarati merchant who had moved to Sindh from Kathiawar, Gujarat before Jinnah's birth.[10][11] His grandfather was Poonja Gokuldas Meghji,[12] a Hindu Bhatia Rajput from Paneli village in Gondal state in Kathiawar. Jinnah's ancestors were Hindu Rajput that converted to Islam.[11] Jinnah's family belonged to the Ismaili Khoja branch of Shi'a Islam, though Jinnah later converted to Twelver Shi'a Islam.[4]
The first born Jinnah was soon joined by six siblings, brothers Ahmad Ali, Bunde Ali, and Rahmat Ali, and sisters Maryam, Fatima and Shireen. Their mother tongue was Gujarati, however, in time they also came to speak Kutchi, Sindhi and English.[13] The proper Muslim names of Mr. Jinnah and his siblings, unlike those of his father and grandfather, are the consequence of the family's immigration to the Muslim state of Sindh.
Jinnah was a restless student, he studied at several schools: at the Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam in Karachi; briefly at the Gokal Das Tej Primary School in Bombay; and finally at the Christian Missionary Society High School in Karachi,[9] where, at age sixteen, he passed the matriculation examination of the University of Bombay.[14]
In 1892, Jinnah was offered an apprenticeship at the London office of Graham's Shipping and Trading Company, a business that had extensive dealings with Jinnahbhai Poonja's firm in Karachi.[9] However, before he left for England, at his mother's urging he married his distant cousin, Emibai Jinnah, who was two years his junior.[9] The marriage was not to last long as Emibai died a few months later. During his sojourn in England, his mother too would pass away.[11] In London, Jinnah soon left the apprenticeship to study law instead, by joining Lincoln's Inn. The welcome board of the Lincoln's Inn had the names of the world's all time top ten magistrates. This list was led by the name of Muhammad, which was the sole reason of Jinnah's joining of Lincoln's Inn. In three years, at age 19, he became the youngest Indian to be called to the bar in England.[11]

Jinnah House in Mumbai, India.
During his student years in England, Jinnah came under the spell of nineteenth-century British liberalism, much like many other future Indian independence leaders. This education included exposure to the idea of the democratic nation and progressive politics. He admired William Gladstone and John Morley, British Liberal statesmen. An admirer of the Indian political leaders Dadabhai Naoroji and Sir Pherozeshah Mehta,[15] he worked, with other Indian students, on the former's successful campaign for to become the first Indian to hold a seat in the British Parliament. By now, Jinnah had developed largely constitutionalist views on Indian self-government, and he condemned both the arrogance of British officials in India and the discrimination practiced by them against Indians. This idea of a nation legitimized by democratic principles and cultural commonalities, however, was antithetical to the genuine diversity that had generally characterized the subcontinent. As an important Indian intellectual and political authority, Jinnah would find his commitment to the Western ideal of the nation-state, developed during his English education, and the obstacle that was the reality of heterogeneous Indian society to be difficult to reconcile during his later political career.
The Western world not only inspired Jinnah in his political life. England had greatly influenced his personal preferences, particularly when it came to dress. Jinnah donned Western style clothing and he pursued the fashion with fervor. It is said he owned over 200 hand-tailored suits which he wore with heavily starched shirts with detachable collars. It is also alleged that he never wore the same silk tie twice.[16]
During the final period of his stay in England, Jinnah came under considerable pressure to return home when his father's business was ruined. Settling in Bombay, he became a successful lawyer—gaining particular fame for his skilled handling of the "Caucus Case".[15] Jinnah built a house in Malabar Hill, later known as Jinnah House. His reputation as a skilled lawyer prompted Indian leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak to hire him as defence counsel for his sedition trial in 1905. Jinnah argued that it was not sedition for an Indian to demand freedom and self-government in his own country, but Tilak received a rigorous term of imprisonment test.[15]
When he returned to India his faith in liberalism and evolutionary politics was confirmed through his close association with three Indian National Congress stalwarts Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta and Surendranath Banerjee. These people had an important influence in his early life in England and they would influence his later involvement in Indian politics.[17]

Allama Iqbal, great poet-philosopher and active political leader, was born at Sialkot, Punjab, in 1877. He descended from a family of Kashmiri Brahmins, who had embraced Islam about 300 years earlier.
Iqbal received his early education in the traditional maktab. Later he joined the Sialkot Mission School, from where he passed his matriculation examination. In 1897, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Government College, Lahore. Two years later, he secured his Masters Degree and was appointed in the Oriental College, Lahore, as a lecturer of history, philosophy and English. He later proceeded to Europe for higher studies. Having obtained a degree at Cambridge, he secured his doctorate at Munich and finally qualified as a barrister.
He returned to India in 1908. Besides teaching and practicing law, Iqbal continued to write poetry. He resigned from government service in 1911 and took up the task of propagating individual thinking among the Muslims through his poetry.