 This
is a view of downtown Peshawar from the Bala Hisar Fort built by the Mogul
emperor Babur. The walls are thick, and it must have been almost impossible
for anyone to breach from the outside. While I was there, the US had just
compelled Pakistan to close the border with Afghanistan. This meant that
the Khyber Pass area was closed to tourists. |
 Lots
of guns look out over the city. Note how empty the highway is. Most roads
in Pakistan are packed with busses, cars, lorries, donkey carts, rickshaws,
bicycles and motorcycles. |
 Another
view of the fort walls. Inside the fort is housing for hundreds and enough
secret rooms and tunnels for a lifetime of exploration. |
 This
is the famous storytellers bazaar in the morning before the crowds build.
In another few hours, it will be packed with shoppers and browsers. Doesn't
that fruit look great? |
|
The women have a separate place to pray. This is very clever, because if Pakistani men and women were praying together, the men would be thinking of the women rather than thinking of Allah. |
This
is the famous Mahabat Khan Mosque built around 1630. The details of
the construction are amazing with lots of stone mosaics and intricate
details. The call to prayer and prayers themselves are inspiring even
if you are not a Muslim. Before praying, each man removes his shoes
and washes. 
