Adding attraction to tourist map of Peshawar: Sethi Haveli to be made Heritage Adaptive Reuse Museum

PESHAWAR: Suhail Sethi, owner of an iconic Sethi Haveli on Monday handed over his ancestral home to the Archeology Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for conversion into “Heritage Adaptive Reuse Museum”.

The ceremony was held at Haveli of Mian Abdul Karim Sethi located in Mohallah Sethian, Bazaar-e-Kalaan, inside the walled city of Peshawar, said a press release. The handover of the house was made through a public-private partnership between Suhail Sethi and KP Archeology Department.

“The development has added attraction to the tourist map of Peshawar”, said Dr. Ali Jan, a heritage lover and member of Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between Suhail Sethi and the Archeology Department according to which the Haveli will be conserved and rehabilitated by the Archelogy Department.

Archeology Department and Suhail Sethi will jointly run the historic mansion as a private museum showcasing the history and lifestyle of the renowned Sethi business family of Peshawar.

Welcoming the participants at the soft opening of the Sethi House, Dr. Ali Jan said `this is a welcoming development through which the splendorous house which is also known as the `Architectural Jewel’ of Peshawar can become a cultural hub.

Director Archeology KP, Dr. Abdul Samad, said this was the first ever initiative of public-private partnership between Archeology and a dweller of Peshawar through which the Sethi House would be converted into Heritage Adaptive Reuse Museum.

The museum will display the lifestyle of the Sethi family through the arrangement of household items in original condition. Dr Abdul Samad said the Archeology Department was engaged in litigation with owners to avoid demolition of more than 200 houses and buildings.

Such a public-private understanding can also be made with owners of these buildings if they agree on not demolishing the property, he said. The director said the Sethi Haveli would be converted into a museum within six months, and earning through nominal charges from the visitors would be distributed on 80: 20 percent ratio. About 80 percent of the earning will be given to Sethi family and 20 percent will be spent on maintenance, he elaborated.