PESHAWAR        -       Inside the dark alleys of Peshawar’s walled city has emerged an archaeological site, an underground two-storey building which is believed to be from the era of the British rule in the Subcontinent. Inside Sarki Gate of the walled city area, an old home in Mohalla Khan was demolished and while digging its ground for constructing a basement, a two-storey haveli was discovered. Soon after the discovery of the ancient underground building, a team from provincial archaeology department rushed to the home and took it under its control while halting the ongoing work on the premises.

The authorities said that the owner of the building should not have demolished it since the buildings older than 100 years cannot be demolished or even repaired without the consent of the authorities as per the KP Antiquities Act. Most of the underground building is made of wood and iron. One Ahmed Nawaz, a resident of the same street, said that no-one knew about the underground ancient infrastructure till the people started digging the ground during the reconstruction work of the house.

In a statement, the Directorate of Archaeology said that the underground building was from the era of the British rule in the subcontinent and that the house owner must have consulted the directorate before demolishing the house. It is believed that the newly discovered structure might be one of the havelis of Sethi family of Peshawar who are known to have such houses in the provincial capital since a long time.