RAWALPINDI:
As the holy month of Ramazan approaches, the Sehri and Iftar Market has been set up in the 200-year-old Kartarpura Central Bazaar, a historic market dating back to the pre-Partition era of the subcontinent.
For 80 years, this Sehri Bazaar has been serving a variety of delicious and spicy traditional dishes every Ramazan.
The market will officially become active at sunset on Wednesday.
The shops have been decorated with colorful lights, high voltage bulbs and street lamps, making the bazaar look like noon, even at midnight during Sehri hours.
This year, durable tiles were installed in the market, eliminating previous wear and tear and enhancing its beauty. The shops and surrounding areas have been freshly painted. Vendors from Lahore and Gujranwala also arrived to prepare and sell a range of spicy Sehri dishes, acquiring temporary stalls at high rents for a month.
Shopkeepers and helpers wear appropriate uniforms and colorful turbans to attract customers. The historic bazaar includes 35 shops and stalls.
Its nihari, paye and channay pathoray are particularly famous, attracting a regular female clientele, even from Islamabad.
From the first Ramazan to Eidul Fitr, the market remains at its peak from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Under twinkling lights, the midnight Sehri scene looks like noon. Items available include nihari, pathoray, sweet thick lassi, sweet yogurt, qeema naan, aloo naan, saag with buttered corn roti, small and large paye, small and large ojhri, qeema matar, mutton aloo, beef aloo, roast chicken, chicken boti, chicken makhni karahi, mutton and beef tikka kabab, plain naan, sesame naan, sesame and kalonji naan, paratha, dishes tandoori paratha, roghni naan, plain roti and qeema aloo.
Six varieties of nihari are available: plain nihari, maghaz nihari, mix nihari and bong nihari among the most popular. However, this year’s awards are being described as “smoke coming out of the ears.”
