The three-day Huner Mela-Artisans at work festival concluded on Sunday. Sara Raza Khan, renowned singer, performed on the concluding day. The festival held under the aegis of Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at PIA Planetarium Hayatabad brought biggest crowd ever for Peshawar s organised by the.
The visitors, including women, children and families enjoyed the traditional Hazara, Kalash Khattak, Mehsud, Attan, Chitrali, Gatka, Attan Ball and Bangash dances and the music performed by Hamayun Khan, Bakhtiyar Khan, Banu Rehmat and Sara Raza Khan which made the event colorful and attractive.
The three days artisans at work festival had 50 stalls of traditional handicrafts and food.
Artisans from Chitral, Kohistan, Kalash, Bannu, Dir, Swat, Kohat, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi and other regions have established stalls to display handicrafts, embroidery, Taghar work, Bannu Royal Khaadi, stone carving, Peshawari caps, wax painting, metal work, wood carving, artwork, calligraphy, ring making, sitar making, Chitrali Patti, Gandhara Art, Drooza chappal, Sarghashay, Charsadda chapal, maizaray work, Karawa work, Sarkha, Dandas, Parunay, pottery work, blacksmith work, Hazara Jisti Shawl and Moti work and a lot of other items.
Food items at the stalls were: Ghatai Rojai, Saag and Jowar ki roti, Painda, Chapali Kabab, Barbecue, Mardan Pairai and other sweets of the region.
"A separate pavilion set up for the Kalash that represented their unique culture and traditions were main source of attraction," said Saima Ali, a visitor from Peshawar city who had come especially to Hayatabad to attend the event.
Murad Khan another visitor who had come to the festival with his teenage children said that first time his children witnessed a Hujra Culture and enjoyed it tremendously, apart from it being a big learning experience also for them.
Hujra is set up for men sitting and narrate stories for younger over a cup of green tea depicting the culture of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Fireworks that lasted for ten minutes mesmerised the visitors.