I grew up in Peshawar in 1980′s/90′s and I remember it as a normal benign place. Unfortunately the foolish polices of Pakistani govt adventures in Afghanistan have impacted the city very very badly.

I am glad you felt Peshawar. That’s the sign of a “well traveled” person. As you know everybody travels around the world, but traveling well is what very few people do. Anybody else would certainly expect others to speak great of Paris or New York type of cities, because in their mind, beauty is all about infrastructure, lit sky scrappers and facilities. Tho mind that, they are not any less prettier or vibrant, but they hold different significance altogether than something as old as 2000 years (Peshawar) with all the world’s empires and their histories attached to it, even tho Peshawar has no infrastructure like Paris or any other famous metropolis, but such things are materialistic, and can be built even in the deserts, but the natural attraction and the very taste of the city comes integrated with the land and its people and that is what Peshawar offers.

In the end I guess It’s just a matter of taste. I enjoyed Rome more than I did bride like Paris or sumptuous big apple, where I was moved by crime stricken South Africa than dazzling London or steady Toronto.

The city is majestic in its very form, every stone of it has history. The valley surrounded by closely grouped hills, upon which the worlds of historic events took place. The valley, which was the dream of emperors, the pride of inhabitants and they love of folklore, is where I belong.

The food is simply amazing. There are no words to describe the taste. The brilliant Afghan cuisines to hot Peshawari recipies to extravagant Pashtuns Tikka Art, is beyond imagination of the word “best taste”, as it’s unique to the land and will never be found anywhere else in the world.

One can easily find continental foods in Peshawar. From Persian to Chinese and Italian to American, everything is available there. Tho we still lack a lot of “hip” joints but whatever is available there is good enough to leave a unique taste in a visitors mouth.

For shoppers, you can find anything in the world in the humongous markets of Peshawar spread over miles and miles of plazas. Since it’s a frontier town, connecting Central Asia and Europe with Indo-Pak and China, you get everything you want in the massive outlets on the outskirts of Peshawar City.

For Tourism, we offer lots of historic places, thousands of years old architecture leaves one stunned. There is a museum that speaks for itself if you are a history lover. Then there’s an Airport runway, only one in the world, that has a train track going through it. :p. A tour in the old city would brings joys of ancient times and a stroll in Khyber Pass will alight the memories.

Not to miss the walled university is in Peshawar, called Peshawar University, most probably the largest ever institution in the world within walled premises.

It has several colleges, Medical University, Engineering University, Agriculture University, and about 60+ departments offering specializations in almost every subjects ranging from Law, Arts, Sciences and Social Sciences, within a walled premises. It’s so massive, if you want to take a non stop walking tour of the university, it will take you a couple of days to see everything. And everything is within the same walled premises, giving it a unique look. A walk on Road #2 of the University, in the evening, under the shadows of thousands of lined treed on both sides of the roads, is a walk in the cloud.

Currently Peshawar is going from tough times due to its significance in the geopolitics, but its still a city to visit, as it will carve a memory on your heart for never to forget.

http://www.pbase.com/noorkhan/sethi