This scent has been dedicated to my mothers ancestors, who are from the Sethi Lineage. My roots are from Peshawar & my grandfather was a Sethi, I wanted to do something for my mother & to ensure I put my home town on the map and educate people about some of the great history on offer in my town.
The scent is an oud based scent made of a blend of Sandalwood, Amber, Saffron & Jasmine, with a touch of Oud. Whilst Oud isn't a scent that is naturally associated with Pakistan, due to customer demand I have developed this scent.
The Story behind the Name & Design
The Sethis were a Hindu trader family from Punjab, who migrated from Jhelum to Peshawar in the early 19th century. They relied on domestic & international trade – their connections went as far as Russia and Central Asia. They were in the good books of British rulers, who doled out contracts and trading licenses to the family.
They mainly traded in wood, which they bought at discounted rates, thanks to their good relations with the British rulers.
The Sethis were famous for making enormous mansions, and their architectural intellect was unrivalled. They were the brains behind the beautiful structure of the Islamia College Peshawar, which symbolizes the city today & is also one of my personal favourite buildings of all time, particularly in the summers when its a backdrop to the students playing cricket in the grounds. It's now also a popular place for photoshoots.
The Sethis were extremely wealthy until the start of the twentieth century, when the Bolshevik revolution led to their bankruptcy. They had millions of Russian currency in their underground vault, when the new Soviet Union adopted a new currency, they lost all their wealth.
Today, no longer enjoying the same level of riches they once did, the Sethis still live in Peshawar. Some of them have gone into education and have founded the well known Peshawar Model, which they manage and run, a school many of my cousins have attended.
The design of the label has been inspired by the architecture which can be found in the Sethi Mohalla.
Sethi Mohalla is a representation of how the elite Peshawari folk used to build their houses. There are seven havelis built in almost the same style, in a street less twisting and turning than usual walled city streets. These havelis are rare architectural masterpieces & were built by the affluent Sethi family. They are a blend of the art and architecture of Gandhara and Central Asia, and their design is inspired by the vernacular architecture of Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
As kids we were fortunate to have visited and stayed there, not quite appreciating or valuing it at that time, instead considering it old and backwards.
The mohallah is now considered a World Heritage site and many aspects of the building have been restored. It is a popular tourist destination for those who visit Peshawar and is also used as a set for movies and photoshoots.
The labels have been designed by a local designer in the UK, Nida Zuberi, a graduate from the renowned Indus institute in Karachi.
