Remains of the Walled City

The older portion of Peshawar is a walled city, to which the British added their own Cantonment guarded by barbed wires. The city wall surrounded the habitation of common men, extent of the city must have varied in historic times. But the citadel is most certainly marked by Bala Hisar that still crowns the highest part of the city. During the Sikh period its extension was delimited by General Avitabile, the Sikh Governor, who built a mud wall surrounding the city. Under the British nearly the whole of the enclosure wall had been built of pucca brick. The gates of the walled city afford an important evidence to study the development of the old city of Peshawar. These divide the walled town into three areas, city was secured through sixteen gates. All the areas of the old city were protected by a wall, originally earthen but later strengthened by brick facing, erected during the Sikh regime, with sixteen gates. The walls are still standing in many places though modern houses have either incorporated portions of the walls or are sitting tight over them. Many of the old gates are rebuilt in recent years and some of them even bear the date on them.