Qissa Khwani’s enchanting allure

While things all around it may be changing at a rapid pace, Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar (storytellers’ market) still reverberates with the centuries-old traditions of storytelling over a cup of Peshawari qehwa (green tea).

Said to be amongst the oldest bazaars of South Asia, Qissa Khwani attracts not only tourists due to its rich cultural diversity, but also local traders who discuss trade over a cup of the famous tea. It is not merely a fantasy, but the fact of the matter is that countless business deals have been struck here over tea.

A group of people relaxing on a traditional charpoy in a small café at the Qissa Khwani Bazaar were approached by Bol News when they were engaged in dealing and bargaining over the price of watches while sipping cups of piping hot green tea.

Transborder trade

Among them was 32-year-old Zaman Wardak, who had come here to buy watches for his shop in Kabul, Afghanistan. “I often travel to Peshawar for business purposes, and I don’t want to miss the chance to have Peshawari qehwa here,” he told this writer.

Wardak, who hails from Khost province in Afghanistan, recalled that his bond with the centuries-old market is worth sharing. “Whenever I come to the Qissa Khwani Bazaar, it takes me to the past because my father, my grandparents, and even my great-grandparents frequently visited Peshawar to do business”, he said.

The businessman from Afghanistan was all praise for the unique taste of the tea that is served at the bazaar.

The city of Peshawar located near the eastern boundary of the Khyber Pass enjoys a special place in terms of history, civilization, geography and culture. The city used to be a stopover for kings, armies, invaders and merchants of yesteryear who entered the subcontinent via Peshawar.

The storytelling bazaar dates back several centuries as merchants then preferred doing business over the famous tea.

A tea shop of 68-year-old Haji Mohammad Gul is located at the entry point of the Qissa Khwani Bazaar and can be accessed through a dark stairway in the market.  Gul, who hails from Bajaur District, enlightened that the bazaar can be distinguished from the other markets in the region and perhaps in the world due to its unique status, culture and history.

He owns one of the oldest cafés that harks back to the ancient days of the market where merchants and tourists from all over the world, including Central Asia and Afghanistan, used to visit and share stories of their travel experiences and other happenings in the regions over tea.

Gul believes that the traditional flavour of the qehwa that was served in the bazaar centuries has largely been maintained as the large brass jugs and traditional round bowls are still used for serving purpose in the cafes.

Hub of discussions

The white-bearded tea seller maintains that the tea stalls at the Qissa Khwani Bazaar are still the centre of political discussions where locals exchange views about the country’s situation besides holding processions on holidays. But between 2001 and 2013, the bazaar had witnessed some of the worst terrorist incidents in the region that has sharply affected the arrival of tourists here.

Now, after the restoration of peace, not only in Peshawar city but the entire region, the traders and customers have returned to the market area, and the hustle and bustle starts here with sunrise as people in large numbers come to the historic bazaar for business and qehwa.

Cultural activist Shafiq Gigyani, while throwing light on the Qissa Khwani Bazaar said “Terrorist incidents and bombings had badly affected the business of the place, but now the commercial centre is thriving after restoration of peace”.

He claimed that the current condition of the historical market is not the one of old times as the storytelling sessions are fewer now, but the Qehwa khana (tea shops) are still the preferred place for traders to discuss business here.

He urged the authorities to revive the dying old culture of storytelling and added that Qissa Khwani provides opportunities to share words of wisdom besides reliving the historical moments, and the Culture and Tourism Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should do its best to preserve the actual herniate of the centuries-old market.

(The writer is a freelance contributor)