Qissa Khwani Bazaar

Traditional Qahwa Shop, Qissa Khawani Bazaar

Restored Façades along Qissa Khawani Road

The Qissa Khawani Bazaar, also known as the Storytellers’ Bazaar, is among the oldest and most historically significant sections of the Walled City of Peshawar. Functioning as a cultural artery in a city that once stood at the crossroads of civilizations, this open marketplace has long served as a meeting point for travelers, traders, and invading forces entering India through the Khyber Pass. Its name is derived from the tradition of storytelling, as people from diverse lands would gather here to share their tales over cups of qahwa in the famed tea houses. Some of these traditional qahwa khanas still survive today, preserving the bazaar’s oral and social heritage.

Colonial-Era Architecture, Upper Lodgings

Busy Market Scene, Qissa Khawani Today

Historically, the Qissa Khawani Bazaar was approached through the Kabuli Gate on its western side. According to Ahmad Hassan Dani, the open bazaar was constructed by Avitabile. The Imperial Gazetteer of the North West Frontier Province (1908) provides a detailed description: “The City has sixteen gates. The main street known as Kissa Kahani which is entered from the Kabul gate (re-erected as a memorial to Sir Herbert Edwardes) is a broad roadway 50 feet in width, consisting of two double rows of shops, the upper rooms of which are generally let out as lodgings; the street is well paved and at busy times presents a very picturesque sight.” The bazaar's architecture includes commercial spaces on the ground floor and living quarters above, arranged along a straight axis approximately 300 meters long running from west to east.

The bazaar gained further historical prominence on 23 April 1930, when British colonial forces opened fire on peaceful protesters affiliated with the Khudai Khidmatgar movement during the Civil Disobedience Movement, leading to a tragic massacre. This event marked the site as not only a commercial and cultural center but also a place of political resistance.

In contemporary heritage mapping, Qissa Khawani Bazaar is included in the Peshawar Heritage Trail. The trail begins at the Kabuli Gate on the western end of the bazaar and moves eastward, culminating in a chowk that serves as a junction leading to Chowk Yadgar. From there, visitors can access other key landmarks of old Peshawar such as the Cunningham Clocktower, Sethi Muhalla, and the Gor Khatri archaeological complex. Along the trail, several old buildings in Qissa Khawani Bazaar have been restored and labeled, including Islamia Kutab Khana dated 1930 and other early 20th-century structures. The street remains lined with a variety of traditional shops selling clothing, shoes, shawls, metalware, groceries, and food, maintaining the commercial vibrancy that has characterized the bazaar for centuries. From Qissa Khwani Bazaar, one can easily visit the ancestral homes of two legendary Bollywood actors—Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor. These historic residences are located within walking distance in the same old quarter of Peshawar. The narrow lanes behind the bazaar lead toward the Mohallah Khudadad area, where Dilip Kumar's house stands, while the Kapoor Haveli is situated nearby in Dhaki Munawar Shah. Both sites are accessible by foot, offering a glimpse into the rich cultural and cinematic legacy rooted in the heart of old Peshawar.