The dual functions versus the family purdah and privacy: Architectural analyses of the Sethi Havelis in Peshawar, Pakistan (19th to early 20th century A.D).

This research analysed architecture of the Sethi Havelis to comprehend their various functions as well as how family purdah and privacy were managed in them. The Sethi Havelis, constructed in over a century (1800-1910), combined domestic, commercial, and communal spaces that formed an enormous Mohallah within the Walled City of Peshawar which once dominated the surrounding regions, and served as symbols of the family's distinctive identity.

The Sethi Havelis were previously understood as multi-purpose buildings, where the Sethi's business activities and family life were managed together. However, existing literature could not clearly explain how these diverse activities and the family purdah and privacy were organised in these Havelis. It was unclear whether all Sethi Havelis had dual functions under one roof or whether there were separate buildings for commercial use only.

Four categories comprise my classification of the Sethi Havelis. The first category revealed that only two Havelis combined domestic and commercial activities under one roof. The layout of these Havelis demonstrates how strategic placement of the staircases, lobbies and corridors helped regulate varied activities. The second category discusses commercial blocks constructed next to domestic Havelis within the Haveli's fortification wall with shared entrance gates. The third category identifies commercial blocks that were established in a completely separate buildings with their own entrance gates. The last category demonstrates that commercial operations and domestic Havelis were moved from Mohallah Sethian to Bazaar-e-Kalan Road.

This study fills a significant gap in the existing literature by providing a comprehensive understanding of the dual functions of these Havelis and the ways in which the family's purdah and privacy were managed in them. The thesis concludes that the dual functions were not organised in all the Sethi Havelis; rather, each Haveli had its own unique system to regulate the domestic and commercial affairs.