Bridging The Gap
Bridging The Gap
Bridging The Gap
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Abstract
1. Introduction
The walled city of Peshawar has an area of more than 2 sqkm and
has trapezoidal form. It provides an organic urban form which enables
the formation of close-knit community. Narrow alleyways designed for
privacy open into public bazaar streets leading to a cohesive character.
There used to be 16 gateways to the walled city which provided its
connectivity with the outer world. Names of these gates are Lahori
Gate, Yakkatut Gate, Kabuli Gate, Hashtnagri Gate, SarAsiya Gate,
Sard Chah Gate, Saraki Gate, Bajauri Gate, Dabgari Gate, Ganj Gate,
Reti Gate, Kachehri Gate (Tangsali), Asamai Gate, Ramdas Gate,
Rampura Gate and Kohati Gate. Very few of these gates survive in
their original shape now. If closely examined, Walled city of
Peshawar houses several historical properties with deep historical
values. These properties include several bazaars, mosques, temples,
shrines, residential buildings, tombs, schools, churches, bridges,
gardens and inns (sarai). Multi-ethnic nature of this place is
Walled city of Lahore has an area of nearly 2.5 sqkm and is home to
a population of nearly 160,000 residents. It lies in the north-western
side of the Lahore city. Administratively, it is part of the Ravi Town,
Lahore. Existing walled city of Lahore largely maintains its form from
the Mughal-era and during Mughal reign this city saw massive
developments in the forms of mosques, public and private buildings,
gardens and bazaars(Ezdi, 2009). The city has organic street pattern,
with a total of twelve gates. A Mori was made in British era which was
later declared as the Mori Gate. Now only five of these thirteen gates
survive. River Ravi always had a special connection with the city due to
its proximity. Several neighborhoods are named after boatmen of the
Mughal era like ThattiMalahan inside Taxali Gate and
MohallahNaugaran inside the Yakki Gate(Rabia Nadir, 2013).
Population outside the walls of the city had a close and symbiotic
relationship with the city’s population as they provided all the edible
commodities while city markets acted as the hub of commercial
exchange. City witnessed massive destruction during the Sikh
invasion in late 18th century. During the Sikh rule, many Sikh palaces
and religious structures became part of the walled city.
These structures had many western architectural features due to
presence of European military advisors in Sikh Khalsa. When British
colonial order came to the walled city, things remained calm as
colonial administrators focused more on developing their
cantonments and offices outside its premises. However, modern era
utilities like water tanks, water pipes, fire hydrants and electrification
did reach the walled city. Due to growth in railway infrastructure and
whole- sale commodity markets, the city experienced steep growth in
its population density (Ezdi 2009).
After the partition of 1947, walled city of Lahore underwent
major transformation. Lahore Improvement Trust took down nearly
2000 houses inside Shahalami alone and a new spatial design was
conceived which reflected most of the developments taking place in
1950s(Janosik 2005). Azam Cloth Market and Pakistan Cloth Market
were developed along a wide vehicular road designed to bear five story
buildings on each side. Many properties belonging to Sikh Gurdawara
and Hindu temples were taken over by the newly-established Evacuee
There have been successful efforts at the local and international levels
to restore the fading glory of the walled city Lahore, while many
such plans were made by the provincial Government of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa but they haven’t materialized yet. Both the cities are
provincial capitals and their walled cities face similar problems but
conservation efforts have remained more successful in Lahore. The
success in Lahore while failure in Peshawar demands us to make a
thorough analysis of policy frameworks and relevant administrative
authorities in both provinces.
In 2006, Government of Punjab in collaboration with the World
Bank launched a pilot project by the name of Sustainable
Development of Walled City Lahore (SDWCL) in order to
rehabilitate the cultural and historical heritage of the city. Initially,
SDWCL acted as a sub-unit of provincial Planning & Development
(P&D) department. Project’s area of focus was the ShahiGuzargah
(Royal Trail) from Delhi Gate till Akbari Gate. Plan included adaptive
re-use techniques, façade redevelopment, utility provisioning and
resettlement of affected population(Vincent Roquet, Luciano
Bornholdt, 2015). However this project took place under a larger project
funded by the World Bank for the improvement of municipal services,
5 . Conclusions
Lahore and Peshawar have both valuable cultural assets in the form of
their walled cities. Both cities require continuous political will for the
conservation of these assets. Lahore with its comparably successful
attempts in conservation pilot projects is now able to set an example for
Peshawar to follow. Establishment of WCLA is a flagship step in the
right direction but it took nearly six years to happen even in a city like
References
Ezdi, R. (2009) The dynamics of land use in Lahore inner city: The
case of Mochi Gate. Environment and Urbanization, 21(2), 477–500.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247809342776
Menesez et. al. (1983) Upgrading and Conserving the walled city of
Lahore (p. 82). p. 82.
Engraved Resemblance
Jharokas, blind
09 Decorative elements Arches (chini between the two
arches
khanas) walled cities
Table 1 - Shared Characters of Walled city Peshawar and Walled City Lahore.
Area in
S. No Walled City Building original Function Present Function
Peshawar
01 Mochi Bazar Shops Shops
Shops/
03 Bazar e Kalan Shops
Commercial/ Rent
04 Kareem Pura Houses Commercial / Shops
Mohallah Mughliyan
05 House Houses
Bazar e kalan
Fig. 1 - Map of Walled city Peshawar- (source UNESCO, Cultural Tourism in Lahore
and Peshawar. (Islamabad: UNESCO, UNDP & Government of Pakistan, 2004)
Fig. 3 - Old Map of Walled city Peshawar showing the gates with Pictures.
Fig. 8 - Gor Kathree complex facing the new trail walled city Peshawar
(Photo by Author).