City Museum Gor Khatri

Artefacts at City Museum Gor Khatri, Peshawar

Pottery Artefacts on display at the Musuem

City Museum Gor Khatri is a museum managed by Archaeology department of Khyberpakhtunkhwa at Gor Khatri complex. Gor Khatri is situated atop an ancient cultural mound and marks the highest point in the city of Peshawar. The site has been mentioned historically, including in Emperor Babur’s Baburnama, where he refers to his visit in 1526. While the Mughal-era serai was constructed later, the underlying mound represents much older habitation. Ahmad Hassan Dani notes the possibility that the sacred begging bowl of the Buddha, referred to by the 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang during his visit to Peshawar, may have once been housed at this very site.

Excavated Artefacts at Gor Khatri, Peshawar

View of Gor Khatri Museum interior Hall

Extensive archaeological excavations have been carried out at Gor Khatri to understand the stratified cultural history of Peshawar. These excavations revealed several historical layers beneath the surface of the mound. The two lowest layers yielded artifacts associated with the Achaemenid period. Above these, cultural material dating to the Mauryan era, particularly from the reign of Emperor Ashoka and his successors, was uncovered. A range of coins from different eras was found during the excavation, including those dating back to the Indo-Greek period during the reign of Demetrius (circa 200 BCE). Terracotta female figurines, commonly referred to as “Baroque Ladies,” from the Scytho-Parthian period were also recovered. The site also yielded evidence of the Hindu Shahi period. Numerous coins belonging to this layer were found, and according to I.H. Nadeem, this supports the interpretation that Peshawar held significant importance during the rule of the Hindu Shahi kings.

During the Sikh period, the mosque built by Jahan Ara was demolished and replaced by a temple dedicated to the saint Gorakhnath. Ahmad Hassan Dani confirms this transformation of religious architecture in the area. At some point in its more recent history, the Gor Khatri complex also functioned as the office of the local Tehsildar, further adding to its administrative relevance in different eras.

To preserve and display the artifacts recovered from these excavations, the City Museum at Gor Khatri was established in 2006 by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The museum is located in the southeastern section of the serai complex. Although modest in size, the museum houses a meaningful and relevant collection of objects excavated from the site. These include coins, terracotta figurines, pottery, and other cultural material representing the various historical phases of Peshawar. The museum stands as a central element within the Gor Khatri complex, serving both as a repository of the city’s layered past and as a public institution dedicated to archaeological heritage.