Paintings spotlight Peshawar’s architectural heritage

PESHAWAR: The exhibition showcasing paintings of the Walled City of Peshawar, drawn by Prof Dr Ghulam Shabbier, has concluded after receiving a good response.

The event was organised by the Archaeology Department at the historic Sethi House in Mohallah Sethian and was titled “Marka-e-Ishaq.”A total of 33 pieces of artwork were displayed over three days, highlighting the architectural and cultural heritage of Peshawar, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in South Asia. All the paintings were drawn with watercolours and acrylics.

A function was hosted in the open space outside Sethi House to launch the exhibition. The house has been acquired by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government from its previous owner and has since been opened to the public.

The chief guest at the opening ceremony was Prof Dr Sayed Amjad Hussain, a renowned US-based writer, author, traveler, and heart surgeon from Peshawar.The event was attended by academics, doctors, artists, writers, journalists, and cultural activists such as Dr Ali Jan, Hindko Academy Research Officer Ali Awais Khayal and others.

Prof Dr Sayed Amjad Hussain and others spoke about the paintings and the artist. They praised Prof Dr Ghulam Shabbier, a self-taught artist and pulmonologist by profession, for his affection for his birthplace, Peshawar. They commended him for skillfully capturing the city’s tangible heritage through his artwork over the past 25 years.

Jehanzeb Malik, a senior art teacher at the Abasin Arts Council (AAC), described Dr Ghulam Shabbier as a passionate artist with a deep love for his native city. “He has an enduring affection for Peshawar - its people, culture, landmarks, streets, and bazaars,” he said.

“While Prof Dr Sayed Amjad Hussain has expressed his love for Peshawar through his writings, Dr Ghulam Shabbier has done that through his paintings, using various artistic mediums”, said the freelance art teacher at the AAC while praising the artist for capturing the essence of Peshawar through art.

Dr Muhammad Asim Awan, who has lived in Toronto, Canada, for nearly a quarter of a century, spoke highly of the paintings. “These capture well the cultural life of Peshawar and resonate with anyone who has lived in this city, like me. They evoke memories of a time before commercialization took over,” added Dr Asim who holds a doctorate in Applied Economics from the US.

Maria Tabassum, a local journalist, praised Dr Ghulam Shabbier’s paintings for offering viewers a visual journey through the Walled City of Peshawar. “His artwork creates a love for the city’s buildings, streets, and bazaars-elements that are intrinsic to the place of my birth,” she remarked.

Dr Ghulam Shabbier told The News that all the paintings displayed at the Sethi House were new works, as he never repeated his earlier creations. Asked about the choice of titles for his paintings, which were based on couplets by renowned poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Nasir Kazmi, he explained that his selection was inspired by these two literary giants. “I have always admired their poetry, and that admiration is reflected in the choice of their couplets as titles for my paintings,” he said.

Questioned why he had chosen Peshawar as the sole subject of his paintings, he explained that although he had visited cities like Venice, Paris, London, Toronto, and many others around the world, none had inspired him as much as Peshawar. “I believe Peshawar is the best city in the world-perhaps because it is the city of my birth,” he said with a smile.

The artist said his paintings were a tribute to his hometown-its buildings, streets, bazaars, and the people who call it home. “I have tried to capture the essence of Peshawar’s heritage at different times of the day-morning, afternoon, and night-to convey the unique emotions and visions one might experience in these moments,” he explained.

Dr Ghulam Shabbier revealed that he had created over 400 paintings over the past 25 years since he began his artistic journey. “Most of these works focus on Peshawar, but I still believe there are countless more stories to tell through my brush and canvas,” he shared.

When asked about the unique charm of Peshawar’s architecture-its old bazaars, buildings, streets, and even narrow alleys-Dr Shabbier explained, “It’s not just about the space; it’s the way these structures are designed. Even houses as small as two marlas in Peshawar have own distinct architectural identity. These buildings were constructed over a century ago, yet they were thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of the people, within their limited means.”

He argued that incorporating elements of the old architecture into modern designs was a meaningful way to safeguard this rich heritage from being lost amid the tide of modernisation.