PESHAWAR—Once a defining feature of this ancient city, the Peshawar historic wall now stands in ruins, a silent witness to centuries of history that is slowly being erased.
Built to protect the city from invasions, the wall—commissioned by Governor Avitabile, known locally as Abu Tabila—has withstood the test of time. But today, it is not war or natural calamities that threaten its existence; it is the people of Peshawar themselves.Encroachment has become its greatest enemy. Homeowners extend their properties into what remains of the wall, while business owners see it as an obstacle to commercial expansion.
Bit by bit, the Peshawar historic wall is being chipped away, not by the forces of nature, but by human hands. Despite being a recognized heritage structure, it lacks proper protection. Laws exist to preserve it, yet enforcement remains a distant dream. Islamabad High Court Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani recently highlighted Pakistan’s failure to implement its own laws. “The country does not lack legal frameworks, but their execution is missing,” he stated.
His words resonate deeply with the plight of the Peshawar historic wall—a historical landmark left to decay despite its significance.The loss of the Peshawar historic wall is not just an architectural tragedy; it represents a cultural and historical erasure.
Peshawar, one of South Asia’s oldest cities, has a heritage that spans over 2,000 years. Yet, unlike cities such as Istanbul, where preservation efforts have transformed old structures into thriving cultural sites, Peshawar continues to neglect its past.In a country where history is often overlooked in the pursuit of modernization, the wall’s gradual disappearance sends a troubling message.
If a monument that has stood for centuries can vanish without consequence, what hope remains for Pakistan’s other heritage sites?
For now, the Peshawar historic wall continues to crumble, brick by brick, as a city once defined by its history watches in silence.
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