Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar
Field guide · Heritage
Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar
Qissa Khwani, 'Bazaar of the Storytellers', is the historic heart of Peshawar's walled city, one of the oldest commercial streets in Central Asia. For centuries it functioned as a caravanserai hub where travellers from Afghanistan, Central Asia, and India gathered, and the storytellers who made their living entertaining these mixed crowds gave the bazaar its name.
Qissa Khwani, 'Bazaar of the Storytellers', is the historic heart of Peshawar's walled city, one of the oldest commercial streets in Central Asia. For centuries it functioned as a caravanserai hub where travellers from Afghanistan, Central Asia, and India gathered, and the storytellers who made their living entertaining these mixed crowds gave the bazaar its name. Today the bazaar retains its character as a working street market: copper merchants, dried fruit and nut sellers, spice stalls, fabric shops, and the chai kiosks that once fuelled the storytellers' audiences. It connects directly into the medieval lanes of the Old City (Andrun Shehr), where havelis, shrines, and mosques survive largely intact.
Why go
- ✦Active caravanserai-era bazaar, copper, spices, dried fruit, fabric
- ✦Chai kiosks serving frontier-style kahwa
- ✦Mahabat Khan Mosque at the bazaar's edge (17th century)
- ✦Cunningham Clock Tower
- ✦Kabuli pulao and chapli kebab restaurants
- ✦Old City havelis and Mughal-period lanes
The Bazaar Today
Qissa Khwani runs for roughly 400 m through the old city core, narrow, crowded, and loud. The main goods are dried fruits and nuts (Peshawar is the gateway for Afghan produce), copper utensils, Peshwari chappal sandals, embroidered Pashtun waistcoats, and spices. The chai kiosks serve green kahwa with cardamom and saffron.
Mahabat Khan Mosque
The 17th-century Mughal mosque at the bazaar entrance is Peshawar's finest historical monument, three white-domed prayer halls with painted interior plasterwork and a small courtyard. Built during Mughal governor Mahabat Khan's tenure, it is still active and open to respectful visitors outside prayer times.
Food of Qissa Khwani
The food scene around the bazaar is as historically layered as the lane itself. Chapli kebab (minced beef, tomato, egg, fried flat) originated in the Peshawar frontier tradition and is best eaten here. Kabuli pulao, aromatic rice with carrots, raisins, and lamb, reflects the Central Asian caravanserai influence. Several old restaurants have been operating on the same spot for over 100 years.
Planning tip
When to go, October to March for comfortable walking temperatures. The bazaar is liveliest from 10am to 5pm. Friday mornings see the lane quieten for Juma prayers before returning to full noise by 2pm.
Getting there, In central Peshawar, accessible from the Saddar area by auto-rickshaw (15 minutes). Walk from the Islamia College Road side for the full Old City approach.
Allow, 2-3 hours for the bazaar and immediate Old City lanes. A full half-day if extending into the Mahabat Khan Mosque, Cunningham Clock Tower, and the museum.
