I RECENTLY visited Peshawar along with my family, and explored some historical sites in the walled city, including the extravagant Mughal-era Mahabat Khan Mosque, the antique houses on Sethi Street, the historically important Gor Khatri Complex and the massive and impressive Qila Bala Hisar. The highlight of the trip, however, was the famed Peshawar Museum. I had heard a lot about it and its grand collection of artefact, but only when I visited it that I realised what all the talk was about.

It is a wonderful place where one can spend hours studying or watching a huge variety of items on display. The ground floor boasts the wide array of Buddhist relics.

Most of them are well-preserved and it is just so fascinating to see how after thousands of years they have stood the test of time and survived in perfect shape and condition.

The upper portion has miscellaneous relics, including Sikh-era paintings and guns, Mughal-era miniatures and others. I have a huge interest in Mughal history, and found the museum really interesting. The price of ticket is also reasonable. However, there were a few flaws in the museum’s management which I would like to point out.

First, it was sad to know that no photographs can be taken in the museum without paying a sum of Rs500. There is no harm in taking photos of the museum’s treasures. In fact, this only promotes the museum’s wonders.

I do not understand where the museum management took this idea from as the some of the biggest museums in the world never charge people for taking pictures.

Second, I noticed that some of the dates were wrongly mentioned, and most of the miniatures had no dates or description alongside them in the shelves.

The dates on some of the Mughal-era scripts are misleading. A receipt from Shahjahan’s reign is dated 1039AD, whereas Babar, the first Mughal emperor, had come to India only in the year 1526.

This should be taken seriously by the department concerned as this causes the spread of wrong pieces of information among the visitors.

Lastly, students should be encouraged to visit the place, and the entry for young people interested in history should either be free or at a discounted rate. This will help in making the museum a place attracting people from all over the country. Students will also make regular visits and it will help them learn about history and its importance.

Ahmad Hassan
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2023