Adding attraction to map of Peshawar: Iconic Sethi Haveli to be turned into museum

PESHAWAR: An iconic Sethi Haveli has been handed over to the Archeology Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for conversion into a “Heritage Adaptive Reuse Museum” under the public-private partnership.

Suhail Sethi, the owner of the Haveli (mansion) handed over his ancestral home at a ceremony arranged at the Haveli of Mian Abdul Karim Sethi located in Mohallah Sethian, Bazaar-e-Kalaan, inside the walled city of Peshawar, said a press release.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between Suhail Sethi and the Archeology Department according to which the Haveli will be conserved by the Archaeology Department. The 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, a heritage lover, said this was a welcoming development through which the splendorous house which is also known as the `Architectural Jewel’ of Peshawar can become a cultural hub. “The development has added attraction to the tourist map of Peshawar,” he added.

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

The museum will display the lifestyle of the Sethi family through the arrangement of household items in original condition. The director 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.