RAWALPINDI:

With the holy month of Ramazan just around the corner, the Sehri and Iftar market has been set up at the 200-year-old Kartarpura central bazaar, a historic marketplace dating back to the pre-Partition era of the subcontinent.

For the past 80 years, this Sehri bazaar has been serving a variety of delicious and spicy traditional dishes every Ramazan.

The market will formally become active at sunset on Wednesday.

Shops have been decorated with colorful lights, high-voltage bulbs, and streetlights, giving the bazaar the appearance of midday even at midnight during Sehri hours.

This year, tough tiles have been installed in the market, removing previous wear and tear and enhancing its beauty. Shops and surrounding areas have been freshly painted. Vendors from Lahore and Gujranwala have also arrived to prepare and sell a range of spicy Sehri dishes, acquiring temporary stalls on heavy rents for one month.

Shopkeepers and helpers wear proper uniforms and colorful turbans to attract customers. The historic bazaar comprises 35 shops and stalls.

Its nihari, paye, and channay pathoray are particularly famous, drawing regular female customers even from Islamabad.

From the first of Ramazan until Eidul Fitr, the market remains at its peak from 5pm to 5am.

Under glittering lights, the midnight Sehri scene resembles 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, chicken roast, chicken boti, chicken makhni karahi, mutton and beef tikka kabab, plain naan, sesame naan, sesame and kalonji naan, paratha, tandoori paratha, roghni naan, plain roti, and qeema aloo dishes.

Six varieties of nihari are available: plain nihari, maghaz nihari, mix nihari, and bong nihari among the most popular. However, prices this year are described as “smoke coming out of the ears.”